Different
by annielovesauggie
Summary: CH 10 POSTED. NOW COMPLETE. After Annie completes her mission, she realizes that she can never really be who she once was. She desperately wants her old life back, but nothing is the same. Will Annie and Auggie be able to navigate a new 'normal' or is it better to close the book on the past. Annie/Auggie angst. Some mature content.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm starting a new series that takes place following the ending of Season 4. I'll post a new chapter once a week. I've outlined the next few chapters and I think it should be about 10 chapters total. As always, I own nothing. If you feel like reviewing, I'm always grateful to hear what you think and if you have any suggestions or ideas about where you'd like this story to go. Enjoy!**

"_See you back in DC."_

Annie looked out over the ocean as she tried to quell the trembling within her. A half day's journey to meet up with the US fleet and then she'd be on her way to DC. It wasn't real. There was no way she could walk back into the CIA and the DPD and pick up her life where she left off six months ago.

She'd been working toward a singular goal with laser like determination. Nothing had stopped her. Nothing had gotten in her way. And now….well, now it was over. Or was it? She flexed the fingers on her right hand and tried to erase the muscle memory of her hand around the gun as she fired two shots into the center mass of Henry Wilcox. No, she realized, there'd be no erasing that memory.

After completing a seemingly endless amount of paperwork, Auggie grabbed the first flight out of Hong Kong and back to the states. He wanted to clear the way for Annie—to make her transition as smooth as possible. He knew she'd be at least a half day behind him, but still there was much to be done.

Now, he stood on the tarmac and waited for the private jet to taxi to the hanger and give Annie back to him. He listened as the plane came to a stop and lowered the stairs. He waited for sounds of her, but nothing came.

Finally, he called out, hoping someone would answer him. "Excuse me?"

"Sir? Can I help you?"

Auggie could hear the rapid clicking of heels. "You were supposed to have a female passenger on board."

"I'm sorry sir. This flight carried only a Chinese business man and his family."

Auggie stood dumbstruck. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. Can I assist you with anything else?"

"Ah, no. Thanks." Auggie turned and walked away, already dialing the number for the burner cell Annie had last used. As he expected, there was no answer. He walked back to the waiting car and climbed inside.

"Back to Langley, I guess." He spoke to his driver.

"Yes, sir."

Auggie closed his eyes as the car turned around and headed back. Suddenly the exhaustion of the past few days felt like a crushing weight. He hadn't let himself relax yet, and now that seemed prophetic. He supposed that deep down inside, he knew she wasn't going to come back the same. He'd been kidding himself that she could walk back into Langley and exchange witty banter with him as they waited for their morning cup of Starbuck's. Nothing would ever be the same.

xXx

A week later, as Auggie walked down the hallway towards his loft apartment, he was overcome with the memory of the last few times he'd been with her in this very space. After finding out that Henry had sabotaged the DNA results with the FBI, she'd come to him in relief and to strategize. He'd been near panic when she'd dropped him off before heading to her meet with Agent Rossabi, and then to have her back in his arms…all he'd wanted to do was run away with her—go as fast and as far as they could.

Then, she'd left with Helen. Even thinking about Helen caused him such pain. He'd wondered so many times if it hadn't been for this mess with Henry Wilcox, would he have ever known she was alive? She'd come back professing her undying love for him—convincing him that breaking up with him had been an act…but he'd believed it then, and he wasn't so sure now. Either way, that chapter was closed, but it had caused damage to the one relationship he valued about all others.

He lost count of his steps—something that almost never happened, so he swept his cane carefully feeling for the doorway. As he was about to put his key in the door, he smelled it. He couldn't place it, but he knew it had to be her. She'd long ago abandoned her signature grapefruit scent along with her blonde hair, apparently. The last few times he'd been near her, she'd smelled different—just soap and sometimes motor oil. Still, he knew it when she was near.

Now, he slid the door opened and waited for her to speak.

"Hi."

He judged her to be standing near the credenza. "Annie."

"I didn't know where to go…I'm sorry I didn't call…"

The tone of her voice alarmed him. He carefully walked toward her and reached out. He made contact with her shoulder and felt the stiffness of her posture. "I'm glad you came here."

"Auggie?"

Now, he quickly put down his bag, keys and cane and used both hands to grip her shoulders. "Yeah?"

"I don't think….I should…."

"Shh." He pulled her close and tucked her head in to his shoulder. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

She pulled back. "No." She whispered. "It's never going to be okay."

"That's not true. It'll be different, but it'll be okay. I promise."

"I killed him."

"Yeah." He exhaled as he tried to steady her. He waited and listened to the sounds of her wiping away tears.

"I…it wasn't like the last time….there were other things…I could've…"

"No. Don't do that. You made a choice and we both know it was the only way to stop him."

"Except for one thing."

"What?"

"We still don't know what his end-game was, Auggie. What did he want? Was it really all about revenge for Jai's death?"

Auggie had wondered the same thing many times too. How could one man be so hell-bent on revenge that he'd tear apart an entire division of the CIA and cause such carnage in the process?

"Annie—you've lost enough. Don't let him take anything else from you."

Now, she pulled out of his embrace and walked to the couch. Auggie heard her rustling in a bag.

"I can't go back. Not yet."

Auggie felt his heart drop. He was afraid of this. "It'll only get harder if you leave. There are support services…"

She interrupted him. "I don't need a shrink."

Auggie crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you need?"

She sighed as she looked around his space. Everything was so exact; so neat. She felt like the complete opposite. She felt like a tornado. "I need to be away for a while."

"Six months wasn't enough?" He shot back; hurt and anger lacing his words.

"That wasn't exactly a vacation."

"What about me?" He didn't mean to blurt that out, but he was furious and desperate all at the same time. If she walked out his door again, he doubted he'd ever see her again.

"I'm not what you want, Auggie. I'm not who I was."

He walked toward her, searching. He held out his hand and waited for her to slide hers into it, but this time, he was met only with empty space. "Annie?" He turned angrily when he heard her by the door. "Don't do that! Don't sneak away."

"I'm not. I'm sorry I came. I don't know why I did. I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry, Auggie. I'm sorry that any of this happened."

She slid the metal door open and closed so fast that he barely had a chance to register the noise and by then it was too late. Despite his quick reflexes and his acute hearing, he could not locate her in the now empty hallway. She was gone.

xXx

She stood across the street and stared up at his window, as he stomped around his apartment. She felt her heart tearing apart as she watched the only man she ever really loved in pain. She was the cause of it, and that only added to the pain. But how could she be with him? How could she give him anything when she was so completely empty inside? No, the answer wasn't to go back to Auggie and continue to take from him. If she was ever going to be worthy of him, she'd need to be able to offer something to him, and right now she had nothing. She'd never felt so deeply alone in her life. Now that she'd accomplished the objective, she was truly adrift; walking between worlds.

Annie turned and walked down the street slowly, watching the various people coming home from work; holding hands, talking, whispering, laughing. It was so foreign to her. She wanted desperately to be part of that world, but right now it was like they were all speaking a different language that she didn't understand.

She turned around and walked back down the street. She was leaving tonight. She was certain about that. She couldn't stay in DC, but something about his window pulled to her. She told herself that one more glimpse of him would be okay; even if it was only his dark silhouette in his lit window. She walked half way down the street and lifted her eyes, but to her dismay, his previously well-lit apartment was dark. She felt grief suddenly consume her as she realized the enormity of her mistake. She pushed away the one person that she couldn't live without.

Annie turned suddenly to run across the street, but before she could she caught a glimpse of him. He was at the opposite corner, crossing the street with the other pedestrians; his cane tapping its ever steady staccato against the pavement. She didn't realize she was running until she was a mere two feet in front of him.

"Auggie," a choked sob came out of her throat.

His mouth was set in a grim line, his eyes hard and steady. He pulled his cane up against his body and held out his hand. She immediately took it. "We're doing this my way, Walker."

She nodded, unable to get words around the lump in her throat, but he seemed to get the message, nonetheless. She leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist. He didn't take her elbow. He continued using his cane, as he took the lead. He turned them around and walked back to his apartment.

At the door, he finally spoke. "I'm going to pack a bag, and then we're getting out of here."

"Where—"she started.

"I don't know yet, but we'll figure it out."

"Auggie-"

"You've been through a lot, and I understand what it's like—to come back different. Sometimes picking up the pieces is possible…sometimes it's not."

"I don't want—"

"I need you to trust me."

Now, she smiled for the first time in what felt like a decade. "Okay."

"Good. Now, wait here while I pack. Oh, and Annie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever run away from me again."


	2. Ch 2

_**A/N: I had this chapter ready to go, so I thought I'd just go ahead and post it. Thank you sincerely for all the reviews. I deeply appreciate them. Don't worry—this isn't going to be 10 chapters of back and forth between Annie and Auggie—there's a little adventure coming next! I was going to introduce it at the end of the chapter, but it was getting too long. It'll be at the top of Ch 3. Some angst, some fluff… **_

They rode side by side on Amtrak Acela Express from DC to New York City. Annie sat so silently that several times Auggie wondered if she were asleep or awake. The first few times he whispered her name, she answered with a simple "Hmm?" Finally, he stopped asking. The walls that she had built around herself were all too familiar to him and the irony that he was now on the outside of someone else's mental fortress was not lost on him.

His brother, Adam had pointed this out to him about a year after he returned from Iraq. He'd done well in rehab and had begun to rebuild his life. Auggie thought he'd pushed through obstacles and dealt with his grief over his loss. Apparently his younger brother didn't agree. Auggie leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes, remembering Adam's words.

"You're like a brick wall, man."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know…it's like you've gone somewhere no one can follow."

Auggie had puzzled over Adam's strange comment. His brother didn't usually have a propensity toward the cryptic.

"I'm right here...I mean, obviously things aren't the same…."

"I'm not talking about your eyes, bro . It's something else. I know you saw things….did things you can't talk about…." he stumbled over his words.

Auggie felt his throat tighten. His brother was right. There were definitely things he'd seen and had done he'd never be able to talk about. Atrocities so inhumane there were no words capable of describing them. It was war….in order to survive; you had to protect your mind from the horror of the unspeakable. He thought he'd done a good job of putting that behind him and attempting to acclimate to civilian life. Apparently he'd been wrong.

"I'm not intentionally shutting you out." He tried to open up to his brother. Of all the Anderson boys, Auggie was closest to his brother Adam, who was only eighteen months younger. They'd been friends as well as brothers and Auggie knew his absence in Adam's life had hurt the young man.

"I know, dude."

"I don't know if anyone comes back the same." Auggie exhaled as he accepted the beer Adam handed him. They were sitting on the small deck of Adam's new condo. Auggie had moved in with him after completing rehab, and then a short, but disastrous attempt at living back home with his parents. His mother was overprotective and prone to bursting into tears every time he stumbled over an unseen obstacle.

Adam had, in his usual no nonsense way, told Auggie that he should live with him. He said he had no interest in mothering him. He needed a roommate to help pay the mortgage for a while and it would be great if Auggie would consider it before deciding on the next phase of his life.

Auggie moved in the next weekend, and true to his word, Adam treated just as he always had. Auggie felt himself relax for the first time in months. Adam had barely asked him anything about the war, or his injury. Mostly, they'd fallen into the pattern of their old relationship; going to ball games, bars and generally hanging out when Adam wasn't in class working towards his PhD in biophysics.

Now, this conversation caught him by surprise.

"I'm sorry." Auggie turned his head into the breeze and detected the scent of a barbeque in the distance.

"Don't be sorry, man. I just worry that you'll keep out the good along with the bad." Adam answered and then rose to turn on the radio. They listened to the Chicago Cubs lose to the Cardinals over the next two hours as they drank their beers in the setting sun. Adam never brought the topic up again.

Now, as he sat here next to Annie, he wondered if he'd need to do what Adam did: just accept the person you love as they are now, and stopping trying to bring back someone that's gone.

Finally the train pulled into Penn Station. Annie and Auggie gathered their few bags and made their way out of the station and into the bright sunlight of New York City.

"Where are we going now?" Annie surveyed the area. She'd been to New York a handful of times, but mostly on a mission of some sort. It had been years since she'd been here as a tourist.

"I have an apartment in SoHo."

Annie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Subway or cab?"

"Cab."

Annie led them over to the cab stand. Auggie gave the driver an address on Sullivan Street. Annie was sure she'd never been in this part of the city and she marveled at the way the big, glass buildings began to diminish as they travelled east. The driver maneuvered down streets that grew increasingly narrow. The buildings here were only three or four stories tall. Brownstones with storefronts and apartments above lined the cobblestone streets. Finally, they turned off of Prince Street and onto Sullivan Street. The cab stopped and Auggie quickly paid the man and exited.

"What is this place?" Annie spoke in wonder as she took in the charm of the bohemian neighborhood.

"An old friend keeps a place here. It's empty, and it's ours for as long as we need it. It's number 137. Apartment number 8."

Auggie handed her a set of keys and she quickly let them inside. They climbed a narrow, but brightly lit stairwell. She took in the gorgeous wrought-iron railing and marble steps. Finally, they reached the third floor. She opened the door marked '8' and stepped inside.

She'd become so used to safe houses and flop houses, that for a moment, she was speechless. One full wall was exposed brick. It opened onto a living area that was decorated in buttery tones and natural wood. A sectional sofa in yellow was on one side and a small farmers table in rough wood was on the other. Around the corner was a small, white kitchen that held every amenity.

"There's only one bedroom, but the couch pulls out."

Annie flinched. For a moment, she'd forgotten he was there. She shook her head. She'd been alone so long that it had become her norm.

"Okay." She answered softly.

Annie watched Auggie move through the space with his cane. He was moving cautiously. "Its' been awhile since I've been here. I'm not sure if the layout is the same." He said as he found the coffee table and bent down to touch the knickknacks on its surface. She was about to speak when she noticed the grim set of his features and the faint blush in his cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

He stood up and faced her. "There's so much I want to say to you, Annie. I'm just…." He faltered.

She felt like her feet were welded to the floor. She wanted to go to him and touch him, hold him, anything….yet she couldn't move. Everything inside her was numb. She opened her mouth to speak and realized she had no idea what to say.

"Let me just ask you this….will you try?" He had both his hands on top of his cane, and was twisting it in what she now recognized as a nervous gesture.

"I'm here, aren't I?" She said softly. She watched the corners of his mouth twitch as he fought a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you are." He turned away from her and continued his exploration of the space. He didn't want to tell her that he'd never been here 'in the dark.' This was Adam's apartment. He'd kept it even after he moved overseas to continue his research in London. He just hoped his brother hadn't left any goofy pictures of the two of them lying around. He doubted it. Ever since Adam met Cecelia, a fellow physicist with a passion for decorating, he'd seriously upgraded his style.

"I'm gonna grab a shower." Annie said softly.

"Okay."

Auggie exhaled as he heard her walk away and then the sounds of the shower. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Yeah?"

"Hey man, it's Adam."

"Oh, I meant to call you—"

"No problem. Antonio called. Nice to have a loyal landlord. Said my clone plus a kick-ass brunette just walked into my apartment."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask first…it was an-"

Adam interrupted, "an emergency, yeah, I figured. Although I'm not sure how many emergencies a code analyst can have." He replied with teasing sarcasm.

Auggie rolled his eyes. His brother was the only member of his family that he'd fully 'read in.' His other family members knew he worked for the CIA but believed his was a tech geek stuck in a basement at Langley. Adam was the only one that knew Auggie regularly found himself in danger.

"You okay?" Adam asked.

"Yeah."

"You don't sound okay?"

Auggie laughed. "There's a lot on the line." He answered truthfully.

"Personal or professional?"

"Adam-"Auggie warned.

"I know, I know…"

"Listen, I gotta run. I appreciate you letting me crash here."

"Anytime, bro."

Auggie could hear the emotion in his brother's voice. It had been too long since he'd talked to him. "When this is over, I'll come see you."

"What? Here? You'll come to London?"

"Why not?"

Adam's voice rose, "That would be great! Ceece will be excited to see you too. She's been so stressed at work.."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a big project she's working on. It's a new drug targeting a specific DNA sequence. They're beginning testing next month."

"Sounds big."

"Yeah, well anyway, let me know if you need anything."

"We'll do. Thanks again."

"Goes without saying." Adam said as he disconnected the call.

Auggie closed the phone and immediately smelled the fruity fragrance of shower gel and felt the hot steam of the shower.

"Annie?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Auggie found the couch and lowered himself into it. "It's okay."

"Who were you talking to? You sounded….different."

Auggie smiled as he felt the weight of the couch dip slightly as she sat. "My brother."

"Oh."

Now Auggie remembered something he'd meant to talk to her about sooner. "Annie, have you called Danielle? She…I called…she thinks…."

"No, she doesn't." Auggie felt her rise up. He followed her into the small kitchen.

"What?"

"She knew I was alive."

Auggie felt like he'd been punched. "What? How?"

"It was her idea, actually."

Auggie could hear her opening and closing cabinet doors.

"Are there any teabags here?"

Auggie still couldn't wrap his brain around what she'd said, "What? I have no idea… go back. What did you and Danielle do?"

"It was a simple code. She made it up when we were kids. I used it in a postcard I sent her."

"So when I called her and had to tell her that you were dead," his voice cracked as he remembered the devastation in her voice.

"She didn't know if you knew. She had to play along."

Auggie turned his back on her and walked out of the kitchen. He stumbled on the long wooden bench that was partially tucked under the rectangular dining table.

"Auggie!"

He held up a hand to indicate he was fine. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Now Annie lowered herself to the floor and sat down next to him. "I didn't know it would all happen so fast."

"Yeah, either did I…one minute we were talking about the idea—which I was firmly against, if you remember…"

"Yeah, I remember."

"And then we're having this bizarre conversation, on my cell, which you full well knew was tapped—"he shut his eyes as he remembered the sound of guns firing.

"After it was over—after Eyal dropped me off, my first instinct was to call you." Annie smiled with the memory of how her hand moved to her pocket to fish out a cell phone that was no longer there. "You were the voice in my head, Auggie. All that time, you'd always been with me—and then you were gone."

He knew she was only a few inches away and his hands itched to touch her. Finally, he moved his left hand, searching. He came in contact with her knee. He discovered the rough fabric of denim.

"I felt it too, Walker. Knowing you were out there and that I couldn't reach you." He shook his head, trying to push those memories away.

Annie watched the emotion play across his strong features. She wanted to reach out and touch him and feel the warmth of his flesh, but still she held back. His hand had wondered upward and now was toying with her hair.

"Are you going to change your hair back?" He whispered as he played with the ends.

"No."

"No?"

"I don't feel like her yet…I don't know if I ever will."

He could hear the emotion in her voice, despite her attempts to hide it. He understood her better that probably anyone else could. He knew exactly what she meant. Someone died that day; and someone else was born.


	3. Ch 3

_**A/N: I've been writing this a lot faster than I thought, but this story has taken over my brain….Thank you to all that review. I so dearly appreciate every word. Now, on with the show….**_

Later that night, Annie insisted the Auggie take the bed. He'd protested, but in the end she seemed determined. As he bid her goodnight, he asked one last time.

"It doesn't feel right letting you sleep on the couch."

"It's safer." She responded as she began carrying extra pillows and blankets from the closet to the pull out couch.

"Safer?" He followed her and leaned on the door frame. "How is it safer?"

Annie's hands trembled as she made quick work of removing cushions from the couch and pushing the coffee table out of the way. "I didn't mean that… I don't know what I meant. I don't sleep well, anymore. I'm up a lot."

"No, that's not what you meant." He moved toward her.

"Stop. You'll crash into the bed."

Auggie stopped where he was. "Come here." He beckoned.

Annie exhaled and tried to calm herself. She walked toward him. She was expecting a hug or a touch on the shoulder. Instead, Auggie quickly grabbed her arm and spun her around hard, reaching into her waistband at the small of her back.

Annie was quicker, however and reversed the spin and cranked his arm back at a painful angle. She stepped back from him, panting. "What the hell are you doing?"

Auggie's eyes burned with fury. "You wanna explain why you have a gun on you?"

"No, Auggie. I don't think I should have to explain that to you." She said, breathing hard.

"I didn't think you were sanctioned to carry on US soil."

"I follow my own rules now. It's come in handy."

"That's why you won't sleep in the bed with me, isn't it? You sleep with it." He said, even though he already knew that was the truth.

"I have to." She whispered, hoping he'd understand and she could stop defending who she'd become out of necessity.

Auggie put his hands on his hips and looked skyward, as if striving for patience. "How'd you get it through customs?"

"I didn't. I picked it up once I was back."

His only response was bitter laugh.

"Don't ask me to put it away." She said softly.

"Not even in bed?"

"Especially not in bed. What if…"

"What if? Annie, you're safe here. No one's chasing you."

"I can't." She turned away from him and continued making up the bed. She finally heard him turn back and retreat to the bedroom. She climbed in bed and pulled a pillow tightly to her face, trying to calm herself. She knew he was right….she was allowing fear to override common sense. Even so, she made the sure the safety was on as she tucked the gun beneath her pillow.

Auggie quickly brushed his teeth and went to bed. He tossed and turned, though, unable to sleep. If he'd had any thought about approaching her in the middle of the night, he abandoned that idea now. She slept with a loaded gun under her pillow. Jesus. What the hell happened to her? Well, if he was being truthful, he'd slept with his weapon at the ready more nights that not when he was in Iraq. But that was war….

The way she'd handled him when he went to check for the gun-she was different; stronger, tougher. No amount of training in the gym gave you the kinds of real life skills she had now. She'd been in some serious hand-to-hand scraps…he had no doubt. He rolled over and let the breeze from the window cool him. He thought back to the early days of rehab. He'd practically bit off the hand of anyone that'd come near him. It didn't matter if it was friend or foe-everyone was the enemy. Is that how Annie saw him now?

Annie tossed and turned, trying to let sleep overtake her, but it wouldn't come. Auggie was laying a mere fifteen feet away from her. She'd dreamt of him so many nights while she was away. She imagined his body pressed against her and let her fingers remember the feel of him; the hard muscles beneath the heated skin. Now, he was here, yet she was so far away, it seemed like an impossible distance to bridge. She sat up and reached for the gun. She quickly released the ammunition clip, and disassembled the weapon. That was one step she could take now. Even if she kept the weapon with her, there really was no reason it needed to be loaded and under her pillow.

She rose and felt the smooth wood floor under her feet. The moon provided the only light in the apartment and seemed to show her the path as it cascaded down the short hallway to the bedroom. She walked slowly, as if carried by a dream until she stood in front of the partially closed door. She put her hand on it and tried to gather her courage to push it open. He was on the other side of the door—all that she'd dreamt of, hoped for….needed.

"Annie?"

His soft, but deep voice called to her from the dark room. She found herself moving forward as if pulled by an imaginary string. He was sitting on the side of the bed in only flannel pants. The faint moonlight revealed his bare chest and stirred something within her that she hadn't felt in a very long time. His head was turned slightly away from her; a gesture she knew meant he was intently listening.

She walked forward silently and stood in front of him. He gave a quick inhale of surprise when he realized how near she was. Annie reached out and touched the side of his head, and then ran her hands though his soft hair. He bent his head forward as his hands encircled her waist and pulled her forward.

"Annie-"

"Just tonight…just this. Can we have this?" She whispered. He tilted his head up as if to look directly at her. The sadness in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat, but then he smiled.

"Okay." He answered her. Now he ran his hand up her side until he found her arm and then gently pulled her down so that she sat beside him. He bent his head forward and leaned into her in a gesture that she found confusing and intimate. She realized he was remembering her….the person she used to be. Well, maybe tonight, she could be that girl-that girl that had given herself over to him freely.

Now, she turned her head and met his lips with own. The kiss began as a gentle touch. The feel of his lips surprised her. They were so soft; so different than the rest of him. Then she felt the change in him; he moved them backward on the bed with him partially on top of her, suspended only by his strong arms. He kissed her now with a passion that had her feeling dizzy. She could feel the edges of her control slipping. For a moment, she teetered on the brink of indecision. This wasn't sex…this was something more-he wanted something more, and she could give in-or not.

She made up her mind as she sank back into the deep pillows and pulled him down on top of her. The feeling of weight of his body comforted her. She closed her eyes as she felt his hands explore her. He seemed to touch her everywhere and lingered a while on her now much toned arms and stomach.

"You feel different." His deep voice vibrated against her collarbone.

She gently pushed him so that she could see his face. She was about to speak with the light caught the small scar on his upper left chest. Her fingers moved without thought and touched the still pink mark. She watched his brow furrow.

"You're different too." She whispered.

"Annie—"

In response, she lifted her hips so that their bodies were in full contact. She watched the haze of desire come into his eyes. Whatever he was about to say, was forgotten as she ran her hands down his back and pulled him to her.

xXx

Auggie awoke early but wasn't surprised that he was alone. The side of the bed she'd occupied was still a little warm. After they'd made love, she'd stayed with him. She allowed him to hold her. He wasn't kidding himself that they were back to their old selves, but he'd take this as a small victory, for now.

He rose and made his way to the shower. It was a small, but efficient bathroom, and he had no trouble maneuvering. He found everything he needed easily. He chuckled to himself. He'd joked with Adam that sometimes it seemed like he was the perfect companion to a blind person—everything he did was orderly and tidy. It would never occur to Adam to put something away anywhere other than exactly where it belonged.

Auggie quickly dressed and headed to the kitchen to make coffee when the door opened.

"Hey." She exhaled, slightly breathless from running up the stairs.

"Early morning?" He tried to joke.

"I went running."

"Oh."

Auggie knew she liked to keep fit, but he didn't remember her being a runner. Something painful twisted in his chest. He'd been resigned to the treadmill for over five years now, but he used to run too, and he missed it.

"I'm gonna shower."

Auggie nodded and went back to the task at hand as he listened to the sounds of her moving around the apartment. He was about to sit down with his mug of black coffee when he heard his phone vibrating. He'd left it on the counter in the kitchen, and he quickly jumped up in search of it.

"Yeah." He barked.

"Auggie!" Adam's voice was full of panic.

"Adam? What's wrong?"

"I need your help. I'm sorry, I know this sounds crazy—listen, it's about Ceece—she's…I can't find her Aug."

"What do you mean 'you can't find her'?"

Adam's voice shook as recounted the previous evening. Cecilia had been summoned to an emergency meeting. When she left she was confused. Something about her team's research…and she'd been gone all night and now her cell phone was turned off—which was completely out of character for her.

"Did you call the police?"

"Yeah, they said she'd not a missing person yet, etcetera. Auggie—she was worried about the meeting. I told her it was fine—she was worried over nothing." Adam's voice cracked as he finished.

"Who was she meeting?"

"It was something about a drug company that needed more information on her research…"

"Where was the meet?"

"I don't know. They sent a car for her…"

"Shit."

"Did you call her company?"

"Yeah, they don't know anything about it." Now Auggie could hear full blown panic in Adam's voice.

"Okay, this is what I need you to do: gather all her tech and get out of the house. Go to a hotel—pay with cash. Get a burner cell. Text me the number when you do. I'll be on the first flight out."

"Auggie—what can you do—I mean…"

Auggie found himself uncharacteristically frustrated with Adam's line of thinking, but he pushed it aside. "I know what to do, and I'm bringing someone with me."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"It's fine. I'll see you soon."

Auggie disconnected the call and began walking toward the bedroom. He was about halfway down the hallway when she spoke.

"I heard. I'm ready to go."

xXx

Two hours later, Annie and Auggie were seated side by side on a Virgin Atlantic flight bound for London. They'd strategized as much as possible until they could get there retrace Cecelia's last movements.

"I wish I could sleep, but I'm not tired." Annie spoke.

"Yeah, me too."

"Auggie—I'm sorry….about last night…"

"You don't have to say anything. Right now let's just focus on the mission."

Annie watched him close off his emotions. She wanted to tell him how much last night meant to her, and how grateful she was that he trusted her enough to give her space and time, but he was distracted, and rightly so, by the disappearance of his brother's fiancé.

Auggie spent most of the flight calling in favors from pals at London's CIA field office. He kept everything off-book and was able to arrange a safe house, along with the tech he'd need.

Five hours later, Annie and Auggie deplaned and made their way through customs. Auggie turned on his private cell phone and discovered a text waiting for him from an unknown number.

"_It's Adam—I'm at The Trafalgar Hilton."_

"Okay, let's go get him and bring him to the safe house."

"I'll go get him. You head to the safe house. It'll be less conspicuous that way." Annie spoke as they quickly exited the airport.

Auggie's only response was a tightening of his hand around her arm. He knew she was right. If by chance someone was following Adam, it's possible that he could be in danger. Annie would be able to get him out faster if she were working alone. He blew out a frustrated breath and pushed feelings of bitterness aside.

"Okay. I'll see you soon. Be careful." He released her arm as a cab pulled up. He was about to duck his head to enter the car when he felt her pull him back.

"Wait." He was about to speak when Annie's hand slid up to the back of his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss before she disappeared. He released her and slid into the backseat feeling conflicted. He and Annie had yet another reason to avoid dealing with their relationship. Either way, he was here to help Adam and Cecilia. Everything else needed to be put on the backburner, but he wondered if the nature of their work—the distraction it caused- would keep them from ever having anything real.


	4. Ch 4

_**A/N: Lots of details in this chapter. Soon, we'll return to Annie/Auggie angst…don't worry—there's a lot of that still to come. Hope y'all are still with me….**_

_**Thank you, as always, to my sweet reviewers. Your words cheer me on and make me write this story faster than I'd planned. **_

_**Previously: Annie and Auggie were attempting a little time away to work on their relationship when an emergency call from Auggie's brother, Adam sends them to London. It seems Adam's finance, Cecelia; a high ranking physicist has been kidnapped just as the results of her long-term study were supposed to be released. Annie is en route to gather Adam from a hotel while Auggie heads to their safe house to begin unraveling this mystery.**_

Annie took a serpentine route around the hotel to see if she saw any suspicious activity. There were mostly business people in expensive suits coming and going this time of day. She casually strolled through the lobby with a shopping bag she'd picked up in a garbage can on the way and tried to look like a young college-aged woman playing tourist.

She walked down the hallway to Room 313 and knocked on the door. When it swung open almost immediately, it took her almost a full thirty seconds before she could speak.

The man on the other side of the door looked so similar to Auggie that for a split second she wondered how Auggie had beaten her to the hotel. Then the brown eyes locked onto hers and she came to her senses.

"Yes?" He asked.

The voice was a little different too; not quite as deep. Now that Annie had a chance to study the man, she noticed other differences too. Adam was slighter than Auggie, but just as tall. His attire was different too; he wore a gray suit with crisp white shirt and black tie.

"Adam." Annie spoke. The man nodded and gestured for her to enter the room.

"Where's Auggie?"

"He's arranging our next location."

"Next location? I thought we were working here?"

"No, it's too dangerous. We just wanted you to get out of your apartment in case they came back for you." Annie walked to the laptop and phone on the desk and began packing them into the shopping bag.

"Wait. Can I talk to Auggie before we leave?" Adam asked, frustrated.

"No, you'll see him soon. We need to move, Adam." Annie watched doubt cross the man's face. He put his hands on his hips, and again Annie was stunned by their similarities. If he'd been twisting a white cane, she'd have sworn it was Auggie. "You can trust me." She smiled. Adam didn't return her smile, but he grabbed his briefcase from the bed and led them to the exit.

Annie exited the hotel and then dawdled outside waiting for Adam. She gave him the address and instructed him to walk half a block ahead of her. She followed form a distance and made sure no one was following him. Finally, he turned down a stairwell to the Underground.

Once onboard, Adam sat down as instructed and waited for Annie to find him. She moved through the cars until she found him. He was seated near the rear, so she stood at the opposite end. She acted like she was absorbed in reading a text message, but she kept a sharp eye on Adam. So far, it seemed clear.

At their tube stop, Annie exited and led Adam three blocks south to the safe house. As safe houses went, this one was fairly upscale. It belonged to an agent's girlfriend that was out of the country for work. Annie knocked twice on the apartment door. "It's me." She said softly.

Auggie swung open the door. "Adam?"

"Yeah." Adam spoke as the two men embraced briefly. Annie found herself uncharacteristically overwhelmed to witness such a raw display of emotion. They each gave each other a firm pat on the back before separating.

"Have you heard from her recently?" Auggie closed and locked the door.

"No. Nothing."

Annie moved through the apartment and put her bag down on the dining room table where Auggie had already set up some of his equipment. She looked up to see Adam leading Auggie toward her with an easiness that spoke of familiarity. She watched Auggie handle Adam's cell phone and download the data onto his laptop and then put his headphones on.

"Okay, let me take a look at what we've got here. Then we'll formulate a plan."

Adam looked at Annie helplessly. "What should I do?"

"Let him work for a minute. Why don't we sit down and you can tell me exactly what happened."

Annie smiled and gestured to a small sitting area. Adam sat down and exhaled a shaky breath. He proceeded to tell Annie all about the project Cecelia and her team were working on. She'd been on the edge of a breakthrough for a new drug, but then the latest batch of testing had shown a new side effect in a small percentage of the population.

"Why did she agree to the meeting?"

"It wasn't uncommon for drug companies to try and wine and dine the researchers. They always act like they have the public's best interest at heart, but it's all about money."

"And Cecelia's test results would have delayed the production of this drug?"

"Not only delayed, but possibly derailed the whole project. I don't know the details of the side effects."

"We need to find out who's got her and what they want with her."

"Do you think….is she alive?" He barely whispered the last part of his sentence.

"Yeah. I think so." Auggie's deep voice boomed from overhead.

Adam and Annie turned around, surprised. "She had some attachments in emails that she probably wasn't supposed to send out, but I'm glad she did."

"You got into her email? How?" Adam asked, stunned.

Auggie's only response was a raised eyebrow. "She's been heavily pursued by a rep from a company called NatureTech. She's been emailing them the results of the recent study."

"But, why would she agree to meet with them?" Adam asked, confused.

"I don't know, but they probably lured her with a promise to address the problems with the drug. I think they need her to manipulate the research to get it fast-tracked."

"She can't do that! Don't they understand that one scientist can't change an entire study!"

"I need to drill down on NatureTech and see who we're dealing with. Annie, I have an address for their corporate office here in London."

"I'm on it."

"What are you going to do?"

"Recon." Annie rose and began to gather what she needed.

"Annie—I have a new cell, cash and weapon here for you." Auggie spoke grimly. He hated sending in to the fire again so soon after Henry, but time was of the essence and there was no one he trusted the way he trusted Annie.

"Got it."

"Keep the lines open." He warned her. He knew she preferred to work alone, but he needed to know what she was doing at all times.

"I will if I can." She answered, touching his arm as she packed up.

xXx

Two hours later, Annie still hadn't returned and Adam was nervously pacing the small apartment. Auggie was deep in concentration with multiple laptops running programs that Adam had never seen before. He watched in awe as Auggie's fingers flew rapidly between the keyboards and the refreshable braille strip. He'd interrupted Auggie once to ask if he'd made any progress, but after Auggie had given him an irritated shake of the head, he'd vowed not to bother him again.

The ring of Auggie's cell caught both men's attention.

"Yeah."

"Auggie-I'm on the way back."

"Got anything for me?"

"Yeah. Be there in twenty."

Twenty minutes later, Annie walked in the apartment wearing a completely different outfit than she'd left in. For a second, Adam wasn't sure it was the same person. Now, she was dressed in what Ceece had called a 'power suit.' It was a form fitting black jacket with matching skirt. She had her hair twisted elegantly into a bun and heels so high he didn't know how she could walk in them.

Now, she kicked off the heels, but carefully put them against a wall in a gesture that caught Adam's attention and made him like her instantly. Clearly this woman and his brother had a relationship that went way beyond work.

"Walker." Auggie spoke from the dining room. Annie didn't respond, but walked forward and thrust her phone into his hand. He immediately plugged it into his computer and began downloading the data she'd collected.

"I actually sat in on a meeting." She rolled her eyes." I swiped a badge at the desk and followed the crowd into a presentation. It seems NatureTech is new to the drug game, but they have powerful money to back them. They have a lot riding on Cecelia's drug."

"Did they mention her by name?"

"No, but they talked about a glitch with a new product—they called it XGCR-77819. Someone on a speaker phone was irritated with the reported glitch, but the head of the meeting assure him it'd be worked out within days.

"So, she's alive." Auggie spoke.

Adam visibly sagged against the doorway. Annie walked over and put her hand on the man's shoulder. "Yeah, I'd bet on it."

"Now we just need to find out where they're keeping her."

"I've been working on that." Auggie moved back to the dining room and called up several images. "They need her to alter her research or re-run it. That'd require a lab. I've eliminated all schools, medical facilities, etc. They need privacy..equipment. I've traced a few shipments that went to such locations."

"Do you have a favorite?"

"Yeah, I do." He smiled at her. She was always one step ahead. "It's an old testing facility for the British Army. It was abandoned years ago, but I took a look at it, so to speak, with satellite images and there's been a lot of activity lately…and a lot of security measures.

"That's a helluva lead."

Auggie smiled. "Thanks, Walker." Now his face grew serious. "The problem now is getting inside…or more importantly, getting Cecelia out. The place is heavily guarded."

"Anyone we can pull in as backup?" Annie asked and watched Auggie's expression of surprise. "What? I don't like to do everything by myself, you know."

"I know." He answered as he reached for her hand. "I already called Martin at the London desk. They're giving up a three-person team, but I need to be sure we've got the right location first."

"More recon."

"Yeah. We need eyes on her." Auggie sighed, hating sending her out in danger without backup.

"I'll go with her." Adam piped up.

"No." They both answered simultaneously.

"Why not? I'm not a moron and this is Cecelia we're talking about! I'm not going to do something stupid."

Auggie reached up and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I know, Adam. It's not that. You're not trained. It'll work against us. Believe me, if I thought it would help, I'd send you in there in a heartbeat."

Annie watched something unspoken pass between the two brothers. Finally Adam relented. "Yeah, okay. You're the expert."

"It's getting dark out. Should we do this at night?"

"Yeah. Martin sent a van. It should be downstairs in the parking garage. Let's load up."

"We're coming?" Adam asked.

"Just in the van." Auggie stopped what he was doing and turned to his brother. "Adam, we stay in the van. Do you understand? If you get out, or blow Annie's cover in any way, you'll endanger Cecelia. Do you understand that?"

Annie re-emerged from the bedroom where she'd changed back into her dark jeans and top with her more practical black boots. She grabbed her dark green jacket and swung in over her shoulder. She walked to Auggie and tapped his hand. He immediately reached up and grabbed her elbow.

Adam watched the two with distracted curiosity. Sometimes they seemed cold as ice; clearly professionally linked, but nothing personal or intimate, but now, watching the way she looked at him, he knew there had to be more.

xXx

Annie drove to a location about a mile away from the target location. She checked her various coms with Auggie and once she was cleared, she walked down the busy street until it became less and less crowded. She didn't like feeling exposed, but there really wasn't any other route. She carefully approached the side of the building, noticing the alarms at each window. She peeked into each window, finding nothing. The first floor appeared dark, but the second story was lit. She walked back the neighboring building and climbed on top of a dumpster until she could grip the ladder of the fire escape. From a distance, she was able to make out several people moving around what looked like a laboratory. Annie strained to see if one of them was Cecelia, but so far no luck.

"Can't get a visual." She spoke softly into the wireless headset.

"Can you get the camera inside?"

Annie took the quarter-sized camera out of her pocket. She couldn't see any openings. All the windows appeared shut, except for a ventilation window in the attic. She looked over at the roof of the lab.

"Auggie—is the roof guarded?"

"Why? Walker-do not even think about jumping that distance. It's a 12 foot gap."

"But I have gravity on my side. My building is higher. And besides…you did it." She smiled.

"Barely. And I was running for my life. Annie-"

"Still, you did it and with…a civilian." She couldn't bring herself to say Parker's name. "I can do it."

She could hear him cursing in the background as she nimbly climbed the fire escape to the roof and then measured the distance she'd need to jump. All she needed was a quiet landing….and a way out after she landed….but she'd worry about that later.

She walked backwards and tried to quiet her brain. She noticed the Auggie had gone silent as well and she appreciated that, despite his protests, he knew she needed to concentrate right now. Finally, she was ready and she took off running.


	5. Ch 5

_**A/N: I wrote and rewrote this chapter several times. I hope it satisfies… If you're inclined to give feedback, feel free! I love to hear what you think. For those of you that review, I thank you sincerely for your kind words. **_

_She walked backwards and tried to quiet her brain. She noticed the Auggie had gone silent as well and she appreciated that, despite his protests, he knew she needed to concentrate right now. Finally, she was ready and she took off running. _

She landed on the roof with an "oof." She quickly rolled onto her side to help her body absorb the impact. She assessed herself and was pleased that she was mostly okay; just a little sore.

"Annie?" Auggie asked, tightly.

"I'm okay." She whispered.

Annie got to work immediately and entered the building through the ventilation window, which was not alarmed. She made her way down an old stairway to a door.

"Auggie" she whispered. "What's on the other side of this door?"

"Don't know. There are no camera feeds I can hack into."

"Okay." She whispered as she retrieved a tiny mirror on a skinny, retractable arm. She'd need to go low-tech on this one. She slid the mirror just under the door and checked the hall. Empty.

Annie eased the door open and silently walked down the hallway. She could hear voices coming from a large room at the end, which she assumed was the lab. She hid around the back side of a column when the door unexpectedly opened. She held her breath as she watched a man in a suit half drag what appeared to be Cecelia Hamar down the hall and deposit her in a small room. Annie could hear the sound of the woman hitting the floor, and the man exited, locking the door behind him.

"I've got eyes on her. I think I can get her out." Annie whispered.

"No. We don't have backup. Just get yourself out." Auggie practically barked into her ear.

"Negative. She's injured. I think she's drugged. I'm going for it. Get the van ready at my signal to meet me out front."

"Annie—"

Annie silently crept to the door and quickly made easy work of picking the lock, all the while keeping her eyes on the lab door. When she felt the lock give way, she eased the door open and took in the full sight of Adam's fiancé. Cecelia was laying in the fetal position, with her eyes wide open, staring at Annie. Annie moved toward the woman at once.

"Cecelia Hamar?" Annie whispered.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Adam's. I'm here to help you, but we've got to move. Can you walk?"

"What? Is Adam alive? They told me they'd hurt him…" the woman's voice bordered on hysteria.

Annie grabbed the woman's shoulders. "That's a lie. Adam is alive and he's free. You need to pull it together and come with me, now."

"It's a trick. This isn't real." Cecelia let her head fall back to the floor as she quietly began weeping again.

"Annie, give her the headset." Auggie spoke softly in her ear. She quickly pulled the clip off her ear and held it to Cecelia's.

"Adam?" Her weak voice said. "Okay. I will."

Annie took back the ear clip. "I'm getting her out, Adam."

"Annie-please…" his desperate voice cracked. Then Auggie's replaced his brother's.

"Get moving , Walker.

"On it. What's the plan?"

"There's an exit off the service kitchen in the east corner on the first floor. It's alarmed, but you might be able to catch them off-guard. Exit through that door and then turn left and run. We'll be parked on the street."

"Okay."

Annie pulled the woman alongside of her as she cracked the door open. The hallway appeared empty.

Annie whispered, "Cecelia, we have one chance here. We need to move quickly and quietly. Whatever you do, stay with me."

"Okay." Cecelia nodded.

Annie and Cecelia made their way down the hallway, but once they were faced with the stairs, Annie realized that whatever drug they'd given the young physicist, she was very unstable. She stumbled and leaned heavily on Annie. By the time Annie reached the landing, she was carrying more than half the woman's weight.

Annie could see the entrance to the service kitchen, but there were two guards standing in the hallway guarding the exit. Annie reached into her ankle holster and withdrew her weapon. Once she fired, they'd have no choice but to sprint for the exit and hope they make it in time.

"Auggie, can you trip an alarm somewhere else in the building? There are two guards blocking my way to the service kitchen.

"On it. Give me fifteen seconds."

Adam sat next to Auggie in the back of the van, afraid to speak and break his brother's intense concentration.

Annie counted the seconds, feeling the perspiration beading on her forehead. Finally, she heard the alarm. She let out a sigh of relief, but then dismay when only one guard rose to check it out. It was now or never.

She moved into the bright hallway and fired a shot directly into the leg of the guard. He went down hard. Annie pushed them through into the kitchen and then through the back door. Another alarm immediately began to sound.

"Auggie-she's almost out cold. I need help with her!"

She heard Auggie bite off an angry curse and then as she rounded the corner she saw Adam running toward her. He quickly scooped up the nearly unconscious woman with ease and turned around. Annie followed behind and covered their escape.

As they approached the van, Auggie quickly jumped out so that Adam would have a clear path to enter with Cecelia still in his arms. Annie jumped behind the wheel and turned around just in time to see a strong pair of arms grab Auggie from behind as he attempted to enter the van.

"Go!" He yelled as he turned on his assailant and landed an elbow to the man's stomach.

Annie practically leapt out of the car and trained her gun on the man Auggie currently had in a headlock.

"Auggie, I've got him." She spoke calmly.

Auggie, understanding immediately, extricated himself from the man in an instant, but before Annie could get a clear shot, the man's hand flew to his waist and drew his gun. He was in the process of aiming it at Auggie when Annie fired.

She watched Auggie flinch; unsure who had fired. Then the man that held Auggie crumbled to the ground. Auggie moved cautiously toward her and she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him to her.

"Let's go." She pushed him toward the open van door. He slid across the front seat and into the passenger seat.

It was several moments of tense driving before anyone spoke. "I don't think they're following us." Annie spoke.

"What the hell happened back there? " Adam spoke from the back of the van, still cradling Cecelia in his arms.

"I had a window to get her out. I took it."

"What about the team? You could've gotten her killed!" His voice rose sharply.

"Adam, Annie made a decision. There's no guarantee that if she'd left her there, she'd still be there when we came back with the team."

"Is she okay?" Annie spoke softly.

"Clearly they've drugged her; probably with a psychotropic. We need to get her to a hospital."

xXx

Twelve hours later, Annie and Auggie practically collapsed into bed back at the safehouse. It'd been a long night dealing with the local law enforcement and hospital personnel. Despite their best efforts to contain the incident, they'd needed to call in to Langley and have the higher-ups smooth the waters so that their identities and activities would be protected.

Now, despite the overwhelming fatigue, Annie found herself unable to sleep. She rolled over and found Auggie in a similar state.

"Hey." She whispered as she reached out and brushed his hair back from his eyes.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" He rolled onto his back and put one arm behind his head. Annie found herself staring at the way his muscles rippled as he moved.

"How's Adam handling all this?"

"He'll be okay. He's still in a state of shock though. No one expects something like that to happen."

"Unless you're us." She finished.

"Yeah. Unless you're us." He repeated in a grim tone that had Annie pushing up onto her elbow to stare at him.

"What's the matter?"

"We're a good team." He turned his head toward her.

"Yeah." She wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"What Adam has with Cecelia….that's a whole 'nother level. I don't know if I'm capable of it."

Annie felt like she'd been slapped. Ever since she'd walked onto the boat in Kowloon, all she'd wanted was to be back with Auggie. She knew she was a mess and needed to work through some things, but it never occurred to her that he might not want her anymore.

"Are you calling it quits…again?" She asked; the hurt clear in her voice.

"No." He spoke adamantly, reaching for her hand.

"Then what-"

"I just wonder if we're not built that way. This job-what we've become as a result….I don't know."

"Maybe you don't let yourself be capable of that." She decided for tonight, at least, she would throw away any pretense of self-protection. If Auggie didn't want her anymore, it wasn't going to be because he thought she was incapable of really loving him. She scooted closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. He held himself stiffly, but then she felt him touch her hair.

"I meant to say it to you so many times…and then the first time I do is when I'm about to be fake-assassinated by Calder."

"I love you? Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Just that sentence-about the Calder thing-it's so ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous."

"What? Loving someone?" she asked.

"Loving someone while doing the work we do."

"So it's one or the other? Helen was right? Are we back there again?" Annie pushed back up onto her elbow and Auggie moved up too so that he was now leaning against the headboard.

"I don't know."

"Or maybe it's an excuse for you."

"An excuse?" He asked, incredulous.

"For keeping people away. For keeping me away."

"If we're going to talk about keeping people away, then I think you win the award for that."

Annie felt herself exhale a shaky breath. "I didn't think it though, Auggie. When I decided to go dark…it happened so fast, and I didn't realize what it would do to me-to us."

"I did. I begged you not to do it."

"I know. I didn't see any other way."

"You didn't try."

"Will you ever forgive me for that?"

Now, Auggie pulled his knees up and rested his forearms on his knees, gripping his wrist loosely. "It's not for me to forgive. You're an operative in the CIA. You need to make decisions based on circumstances—not personal relationships."

"So where does that leave us?"

"I don't know." He said, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

Annie rose and slipped on a robe. She walked into the kitchen and began filling a kettle for tea. While she waited for the water to boil, she stared out the window. It was night again. Somehow, an entire day had transpired and she'd barely been aware of it. Was it a nice day? Sunny? Cloudy? She had no memory of it. Her brain and body had gone into a survival mode. Now, she could feel the adrenaline ebbing from her body and leaving her bone tired.

Finally the whistling of the kettle pulled her away from the window. She turned and gave a startled yelp when she realized Auggie was standing in the doorway. She quickly snapped off the burner to quiet the kettle.

"Sorry." He was looking down, as if staring at the floor.

"Are you okay?" She walked to him and laid her hand on his bare chest. She could feel the twitch of his nerves under her hand.

He picked his head up and seemed to look directly into her eyes. For a moment, she didn't breathe. He moved his hands up to the sides of her head and held her gently while he bent down and kissed her before pulling back.

"I don't know how to do this…but it doesn't mean I don't want to."

Annie frowned in confusion. The look on his face was something she'd never seen in him before. "Do what?"

"Let you in."


	6. Ch 6

_**A/N: Thank you to all for your lovely and inspiring reviews. I have a direction I want to take, and I'm slowly getting there…I hope you'll hang in there for the ride. Annie and Auggie wear so much armor; it's hard to get them to take it off. I want them to face each other with no pretense, no safeguards, and then they'll really be able to confront their feelings. Enjoy and review (if you want!)**_

The next morning, Auggie sat in Adam and Cecelia's apartment having coffee with his brother.

"How's she doing?" Auggie asked.

"Better now that she's out of the hospital. She doesn't want to stay here. Neither do I. We're going to move… maybe a place with a doorman." Adam shook his head as he looked out the window.

"I can't thank you enough, Auggie. I don't even have the words…what you and Annie did….if something happened to her…" he cut his sentence short; unable to speak past the swell of emotion.

Auggie turned toward his usually stoic brother. "I'm glad we could help."

"You say that like I asked you to pick up my mail while I was on vacation." He laughed. "How do you thank someone for giving you your life back?"

"You really love her, huh?"

"Yeah." Adam rose to refill their coffee mugs. "So, what about Annie?"

Auggie raised his eyebrows. "What about her?"

"She loves you."

Auggie didn't know how to respond. He knew Annie loved him the way he loved her—they shared a bond that most people never experienced. It came from having the life of your partner in your hands. But beyond that, he needed to clear his head and analyze his feelings.

"You're overthinking it." Adam laughed as he rose from the couch and went to the bedroom to peek in on a sleeping Cecelia. As he returned to the couch, he patted his brother on the knee. "Do you love her? I mean, is it a romantic thing with the two of you?"

"It was…" Auggie ran a hand though his already tousled hair. "We started—something—and then as usual work got in the way."

"And by work, you mean…"

"You know I can't talk about it." Auggie looked chagrined.

"So, you started something, but you didn't finish it." Adam sounded annoyed.

"I guess."

"And this is helpful how?"

"It's complicated."

"You're making it complicated. It's actually quite simple."

"Oh really?"

"You're afraid."

Auggie stopped fiddling with the napkin on the coffee table and tried to shoot his brother an annoyed glance. "I'm not afraid, Adam. I think that maybe you just overestimate what's under the surface here." Auggie gestured to himself. "I'm not some great riddle. I don't keep people at a distance. This is all there is." He flopped back on the couch, waiting for Adam's argument.

"Yeah, no. You could barely deliver that little speech with a straight face, man. I'm not buying it and frankly, you're not selling it, either."

"I don't want to talk about this." Auggie rose and unfurled his cane.

"Auggie—"

"It's fine, Adam. I just don't want to—"

"It's an amazing thing you know." Adam spoke quietly and in a voice that commanded Auggie's attention. "I almost lost her yesterday, "he swallowed hard, "but she knew that I loved her. No matter what, she already knew that."

"It's not like that with us—"

"Auggie, it can be."

"Maybe it's easy for you, but—"

"You think it was easy?" Adam laughed. "She almost left me, man. Did I tell you that? She laid it on the line and I almost didn't have the balls to commit."

"What happened?"

"She left. She moved here. I joined her a week later and asked her to marry me."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that I love her more than anything and I wanted to be with her forever."

"That's true." A small voice piped up from the doorway.

"Ceece! You shouldn't be up yet." Adam moved to her side.

"I'm fine. I feel like I've been asleep for days. Auggie…"

Auggie heard the emotion in the woman's voice and felt the slight vibrations in the floor as she came toward him. "I don't know what to say." She whispered and then wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm just glad you're okay." He patted her back gently. She disengaged her arms from his neck, but held on to one of his hands.

"Is Annie here?"

"Ah, no. I just stopped by to see you both before we head back to the states."

"You're leaving today?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't be here under better circumstances."

"Me too." She whispered. "Do you have to go?"

Auggie smiled. "Yeah. Things got a little messy for us, so it's best we get out of town for a while. I'll come back though. Soon."

"With Annie?"

"I'll try."

Auggie felt the small woman's hand move up to his forearm and grip with a strength he didn't know she possessed. "I don't know all the details, but make sure you take care of her, Auggie. She's….she's one of kind."

Now, Auggie felt emotion overtake him. "Okay." He answered gruffly.

"I'll walk you downstairs." Adam said as he bumped the back of Auggie's hand.

After another round of hugs, Adam and Auggie walked down the three flights of stairs and into the bright sunlight of midmorning.

"I'll let you know what happens with Cecelia and the fallout from this mess."

"She held up, Adam. She's tough."

"Yeah," he laughed, "you could say that."

"Auggie-"

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Auggie smiled and pulled his younger brother in for a last hug goodbye. He felt Adam nod against his back. He knew Adam had more to say to him, but he wasn't entirely sure he could bear to hear it.

"Hail me a cab, okay?" Auggie asked.

Adam quickly did as Auggie asked, and a moment later, Auggie was speeding back to Heathrow to meet Annie. Auggie asked her to join him to say goodbye to Adam and Cecelia, but she made an excuse about needing to head to the airport early to check on their travel arrangements. They both knew that was completely unnecessary, but Auggie thought that perhaps she wasn't up to handling his family just yet. She still hadn't had a chance to reunite with Danielle, and it weighed heavily.

After receiving Auggie's text, Annie made her way to the curbside drop-off for Departures and waited. Finally, she saw the tall form of her boyfriend unfold himself from the back of a Black Cab and sling his bag across his chest. He spoke to the driver and then used his cane to walk the few steps up the curb. As she walked toward him, she watched how his face never showed even a hint of uneasiness, despite the fact she knew he didn't know exactly where to go. Of course, he had his phone with its top-of-the-line GPS guidance, but still, sometimes she didn't know where he drew his courage from.

Auggie stepped up to the curb and waited. He knew Annie would be along momentarily, so he took in the sounds around him. Babies crying, harried travelers, cars and buses honking and tires squealing. After a moment, he sensed her approach. She still wasn't wearing any scent that he recognized, but still…something always told him when she was near. Of course, his 'radar' wasn't perfect. He smiled remembering a time, not long ago, when he almost convinced himself Annie was sitting next to him on a bus in DC. It was so uncanny—he almost spoke her name aloud.

"Hey." She spoke from a few feet away. "How'd it go with your brother?"

He waited for her touch, and was disappointed that she didn't offer it. "Good."

"Cecelia's okay?"

"She's shaken up, but she's tougher than she looks." He smiled.

Annie let out a shaky breath. Somewhere during their ordeal, she realized the weight of responsibility she held in her hands when she decided to go against Auggie's directive and bust Cecelia out of that building without backup. She was used to making decisions about her safety only. Now, she'd gambled with someone's life. It turned out well, but she couldn't stop herself from imagining how Adam and Auggie would feel if things had gone wrong.

"Yeah. We should probably…" she let the words drop off as she touched the back of his hand. He moved his right hand to her elbow and allowed her to lead him into the airport. He couldn't help the feeling of darkness that crept over him. He thought they'd made progress last night. Now, it seemed she'd slammed a door shut again.

They waited in virtual silence until their flight was called. Once airborne, they both promptly fell asleep. It was only when the plane began its descent that he spoke.

"If you don't want to come back to the apartment in SoHo with me, it's okay."

"What? No…I thought….should I leave?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I just didn't want you to feel obligated…"

She stared into his brown eyes. He was so steady; so strong. The light from the window caught the highlights in his dark brown hair and for a moment, she could see the boy inside the man. She reached for his hand on the armrest and laid hers on top of his. He instantly flipped his hand over and intertwined their fingers.

"I want to go back to the apartment. I think…I think we should." It was the most she could say. Anything more might have her dissolving into a puddle on the plane. Thankfully, he seemed to understand and gave a squeeze of her hand as acknowledgement.

xXx

Once again, Annie found herself practically falling into bed as a result of total exhaustion. She watched as Auggie prepared for bed. He moved around the small bedroom with ease; the only concession to his blindness was the occasional touch of his hand to a piece of furniture. Finally, he moved to the bed and pulled back the duvet with a groan.

"I think I could sleep for a year." He yawned. Tonight he wore a faded Pearl Jam concert t-shirt and black flannel pants to bed. Annie missed the sight of feel of his bare chest. Somehow, she felt more connected to him when she could touch more of him. She, herself wore only an oversized t-shirt.

"Me too." She answered as she reached over and touched his arm. "I'm sorry about last time…you know…sleeping on the pull-out." She said; embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"I'm glad you're here." He answered simply.

"Really?"

"Yes." He spoke deliberately. "You told me once that you wanted our lives outside the CIA to be more important. Do you remember that?"

"It feels like a lifetime ago that I said that. God, I was so naïve." She rolled away from him to hide the tear that rolled down her cheek.

Auggie reached to her and gently turned her back to him. "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm not the same person that said that to you, Auggie. Don't you understand? I'm not the same." Now she let the tears fall, unchecked.

Auggie pulled her into his arms and tried to quiet her. He kissed her temple and stroked her hair. "Annie, it's okay." He whispered softly.

"I'm just afraid that when you really see who I am….you won't want me anymore."

"I…" he stumbled over his response. What could he say? She was in such a dark place…a place he'd been to before himself, and he remembered all too vividly that he'd thought the exact same thing.

"Annie—I'm here, okay? I'm here. No matter what."

"What if…." She trailed off.

"What if I don't love you anymore?" He finished for her. He felt her nod against his chest.

"That's not possible."


	7. Ch 7

_**A/N: Okay, readers…this one was hard to write. At times, I felt like I was violating Auggie's privacy too much, but cards needed to be laid on the table….. My worry is that this conversation is too deep; too personal, but nonetheless, here it is. Review and let me know what you think. As always, I'm grateful for all your kind words. **_

"You use your cane around me a lot more than you used to."

Auggie slowed for a second, surprised by her statement. They were strolling through Washington Square Park, a few blocks over from the apartment on Sullivan Street in the late afternoon. There weren't many people around, but that hadn't impacted his decision to keep his cane open. If he were being honest, it never even crossed his mind not to use it.

"I mean….back when… before." She exhaled. "You trusted me. If I was guiding you, you didn't use your cane."

Now, Auggie stopped walking. "Is there a bench somewhere we can sit?"

Annie wordlessly led them over to a bench on the other side of the path. She stopped once they were in front of it and waited for Auggie to use his cane to find it. It wasn't lost on him that she didn't offer assistance to him to help him locate it.

He quickly folded up his cane, but held it loosely in one hand. "I trust you."

"But—"

"Wait, I think you're mistaking trust for necessity."

"I'm not questioning you…I was just observing. Last year, before we started…you know….I can barely remember you using your cane around me."

"Well, mostly we were inside the building." He retorted. "I kinda know my way around Langley."

"No! There were other times too!" She laughed a little. "Remember the baseball game?"

Auggie thought back to that day. Did he use his cane? He remembered walking with her along the National Mall on the way to the game. It had been a beautiful day with perfect temperatures. He remembered the way her hair kept blowing across his shoulder as they walked.

He shook his head to clear the memories. Anything that came before Henry Wilcox and that damned file seemed sacred in his memory. Everything since, seemed tainted somehow.

"Does it bother you?" He asked, wondering.

"Bother me? Why would it bother me?"

He smiled at the truly puzzled tone in his voice. He'd never met anyone like Annie, before or since he became blind. She was so matter-of-fact; so honest.

"The cane's not only for my benefit. It lets' the people around me know that I can't see. That way they give me a wider berth."

"Yeah, I get that."

"But…."

"It sounds ridiculous hassling a blind man about whether or not he uses his cane."

"Wow. Okay…" he drew out the word, somewhat stung.

"I guess somewhere in the course of our relationship, I felt like you trusted me…as a guide…as a friend…now that I left so abruptly, I feel like I have to start all over again."

"You don't."

"What was it like for you? When I went dark?"

Auggie felt his gut clench. He didn't want to tell her the truth; that he was scared to death every minute that she was out there. "It was tough."

"Tough? Yeah. It was tough."

Auggie could tell from the direction of her voice that she was looking away from him. He took a deep breath. "I don't want to tell you the truth."

The strange note in Auggie's voice had Annie swiveling back to face him. "Why? What's the truth?"

Auggie chuckled to himself. "I thought I was stupid for letting myself get involved with you."

"What?"

"I don't like to be vulnerable, and I sort of figured out a long time ago that I shouldn't count on things that can get taken away from me. If I don't get invested, than it won't hurt when I lose it."

"Like Helen?"

"Losing Helen was….hard." He swallowed and forced himself to continue. "Then I made almost the same mistake again with Natasha."

"You did?"

"Well, from the beginning, I think I knew not to put my faith in her a hundred percent. I mean, she's a radical Russian anarchist." He laughed.

"But it stung enough to have you quitting the agency."

"Yeah, but it was more about me than her."

"Really?"

"I just needed to get away."

"So you went to Iraq?"

He laughed again, "Yeah."

"Do you regret it?"

"Sometimes." He stretched out his long, denim clad legs and crossed them at the ankles. "I was there to do a job, and I did it. You know, going in, that you might not make it out, but you accept it."

Annie watched him. He looked relaxed to an outsider, but she knew the signs of tension. His foot was bouncing slightly, his hand that held his cane was tapping against his knee, and the set of his jaw was hard as stone. "What about being injured? Did you ever worry about that?"

"No. You can't think about that." He answered immediately.

"Yeah." She exhaled on a shaky breath. She looked over sharply when Auggie put his hand on hers.

"I said it when we were in Hong Kong, but I meant it, Annie. You were at war."

"It doesn't compare…" she trailed off.

"To me? Why not? We were both in mortal danger."

Annie didn't answer. She didn't like Auggie comparing their situations. His sacrifice was so much more than hers; and the price he paid would last a lifetime.

"Do you trust me?" She asked. "I mean, not just about leading you….I mean, about everything else."

"Yes." He reached up and touched her chin, turning her to face him.

"How can you? I don't even trust me?"

"Maybe I know you better than you do." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

Annie met his lips with her own and allowed herself to sink into his kiss. Finally, she pulled back. "I trust you, too. You know that, right?"

"I think we've been 'handler and operative' a lot longer than we've been romantic partners."

"So, what are you saying?"

"Do we fall back into the pattern when things get rough?"

"I don't know. This has been the hardest year of my life, Auggie. I don't know if I can pick up where we left off."

"You know what Adam told me?"

"What?"

"That if I don't let down my walls, I'll keep out the good and the bad."

"When did he say that?" she smiled.

"Actually it was a long time ago, but he reminded me of it the other day."

"I don't think you need to—"

"I want to go further with you. I want to push beyond the boundaries that we both have."

"Auggie—"

"Not right away. I know you need space, and time."

Annie smiled and raised her hand to his cheek. She watched his irises flare at her touch. "I didn't think you wanted me."

"Why?" He asked with disbelief.

She removed her hand and dropped her head. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze, even knowing he couldn't see her. She forced the words out of her mouth. "I killed him and I didn't have to. I murdered him, Auggie."

Auggie could barely hear her; her voice was so soft. He'd known, of course, about the circumstances of Henry's death. He'd been with her every step of the way; following her either by phone, or camera. He'd known the second she called to say it was done. Her voice had sounded so different from anything he'd ever heard before.

"You had a choice. I don't think you made the wrong one."

"The better good…and all that?"

"Yeah, that pesky thing." He gave her a small smile.

"Killing is killing."

"It is." He stopped himself from saying more. He'd heard all the rhetoric himself when he'd gone into mandatory counselling after Iraq.

"So, I just live with it?"

"I guess so."

"So, what now?"

"More walking." He rose and reached out his hand for her elbow. She quickly connected her arm with his hand and was somewhat surprised when he didn't open his cane.

"Auggie—you can use your cane—"

"No, it's fine."

Annie felt foolish that she'd commented on it earlier. Who was she to know what Auggie needed?

"I feel really dumb for making that comment about your cane." She said as they walked slowly around the perimeter of the park.

Auggie was uncharacteristically silent. She'd expected a quip of some sort to ease the tension, but he offered none.

"Auggie?"

He pulled them to a stop. The look on his face was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "Auggie? Are you okay?"

"Walker, I want to tell you something—"he exhaled slowly and then raised his eyes to meet hers. He was only off by an inch or so, and she found herself imagining that when he could see, his direct gaze was probably mesmerizing.

"It's easier to keep people at a distance. I never let them in, so when they leave, it doesn't hurt."

"What about Parker?" She blurted out. She watched pain flash in his brown eyes and she wished she could suck the word back into her mouth.

"I didn't love her."

Annie could've been knocked over with a feather. "Yes, you did," she stammered. "You proposed."

"There's more to that story than you know." He closed his eyes and forced himself to continue. "I got some bad news about my eyes. I made some rash decisions because of it."

"What?" She asked, alarmed.

"It doesn't matter now. It's done."

"Tell me." She implored.

"I went to the doctor to see if new stem cell therapies could help…"

"Oh God, Auggie—"

Now, he unfurled his cane and walked a few steps ahead before turning back. "I didn't want to tell you."

"Why?"

"I'm sure you can figure it out." He leaned his hands on his cane and gave her his trademark grin. A cover, she thought.

"I wish you'd told me."

"So you could feel sorry for me?"

"So I could be a friend."

Auggie let the grin slide off his face. "You weren't my friend."

"Wha—"

"I think I already loved you back then. I didn't want you to see me that way."

"I didn't! When I came home from Stockholm, I came to you. I wanted you….I tried to tell you, but you handed me your keys and took off for Africa." She replied, still stung by his actions.

Auggie was about to respond; to defend himself, when he decided to stop. If he had any chance of having anything remotely close to what Adam and Cecelia had, he needed to stop hiding his feelings and be honest.

"I thought if I pushed you away, it'd be safer."

"Safer?"

He was almost undone by her voice. She was so honest; so brutally honest. She deserved the same from him. "If I love you…and you love me, then I'll count on you."

"But we can count on each other. Don't we already do that?" She asked; the hurt clear in her voice.

He twisted his cane in his hands and closed his eyes. "You can see, Annie. You take me back into a world that I'm not a part of anymore. I'll start to depend on you, and then—"

"Then I'll leave you." She finished. She watched him give a quick nod of his head. She exhaled and looked up to the sky. "I feel the same way about my heart." She reached out and placed her hand on top of his to still his ever-twisting motion.

"My heart is one thing, but for me, I need to be careful. What if…"

"You depend on me and I leave?"

"I'm blind, Annie. I don't want to end up being dependent…"

Now it was Annie's turn to be stunned silent. No matter how highly she thought of this man, he always seemed to rise higher in her esteem. She mentally chastised herself for never once considering how his disability colored his world. Maybe that's because she never thought of him that way, but nonetheless, he deserved to be heard.

"I know."

They stood there, unmoving for a while. Finally, Annie pulled him forward and they began their leisurely pace again.

"I'm starving. We've been in the city for almost twenty four hours and haven't had any pizza. How is that possible?" She said.

"That's it? We're done?"

"I heard you. I heard what you said. I don't want you to think I don't get it. But I'm willing, Auggie. If you are, I'm willing to leap."

He smiled and squeezed her elbow in a way he hadn't done in a very long time. For now, this would have to be enough.


	8. Ch 8

_**A/N: First and foremost, a sincere thank you to all my wonderful, kind, supportive reviewers. I was so appreciative and touched by your kind words. Now, we continue…**_

_**A small note: I've played around with Auggie's family a bit…I know in season 1, he states he has 4 older brothers. I kept that, however added a younger brother to the mix (Adam). We don't know much about Auggie's family, so I've run with that a bit—I hope no one is offended. Thank you and enjoy!**_

"What was it like growing up with so many brothers?"

Auggie pulled his headphones off his ears and shot her a puzzled glance. Annie had been so quiet these past few days that he wondered if this would be their new 'normal.'

"You want the real answer, or the company line?"

"Whatever."

Now Auggie put his laptop to the side and crossed one leg with his ankle resting on his knee. He'd made a vow to himself that if he'd ever have a chance at something real with Annie, he'd need to let down the barriers. "Well, I don't really know my older three brothers that well. They're from my father's first marriage and are all in their forties."

"Oh, I didn't know your parents were divorced."

"Just my father. He married young. It didn't work out."

"Did they live with their mother?"

"Yeah, mostly. We saw them on weekends and summers. It was...tense."

"You didn't get along with them?"

Auggie exhaled, "I don't know. As a kid, I didn't really understand what was going on. I knew they didn't like my mother or the younger kids."

"Wow. I just always assumed you were living in utopia out there in Illinois." She smiled.

"Yeah." He grunted. "Things got especially interesting when Alex, my older brother came out."

"Which brother is Alex?"

"The older three are Henry, Charlie, and Joe. Charlie and Joe are twins. Those are my dad's kids from his first wife. Then there's Alex, me and Adam. "

"So, Alex is gay?"

"Yeah." Auggie laughed. "It was crazy 'cause Adam and I knew for so long. When he finally told us, it was almost laughable. 'Course my dad didn't think so."

"He didn't take it well?"

"Ah, no."

"How 'bout now? Have they smoothed things over yet?"

"I don't know. That happened around the same time I left for Iraq. Afterwards, I was a little preoccupied."

"Do you still keep in touch with him?"

"Yeah, mostly by email. He and his partner are getting married in Hawaii next summer and they just sent a 'save the date' thing."

"Are you going?"

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"He's kind of a dick."

Annie burst out laughing. "What!"

"He's a lawyer and he's got such a superior attitude. He's always sending me links about the ADA and what I need to demand from the workplace to 'accommodate my needs.'" Auggie used air quotes and had Annie laughing even harder.

"Maybe he's just concerned." She tried to stifle her giggles.

"No. Even before I lost my sight, he always had a condescending attitude."

"Wow. Imagine if he knew what you really did for a living."

Auggie didn't respond, but the look on his face had Annie regretting referencing work. They'd been insulated in a bubble of domestic bliss for almost a week. Any time she tried to talk about work, Auggie made it a point to distract her.

"So, Adam Is the only one you're really close to?"

"Yeah."

"When I was little, I always wished for a big family."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"I can't believe you have five brothers."

"I guess. I don't really think of them as immediate family. More like cousins or distant relatives."

Annie thought that was sad, but didn't comment further. These days, a blended family was more common than not. Even though her parents were still married to each other, they had far from a perfect marriage.

"I'm hungry. You feel like grabbing a bite?" She walked to the window and looked out at the people going about their business down on the street.

Auggie didn't answer, but stood up and began to gather his wallet, phone and cane. He moved to the door and waited.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she touched his arm.

"I…" he shook his head and Annie could see the torrent of emotion playing over his features. "You said those exact words in Hong Kong."

"Oh." She exhaled. "I'm sorry—"

"No, don't be sorry." He reached for her and pulled her into to a hug. "After that night, everything felt so different. I didn't think we'd ever get back here."

Annie watched him narrowed his eyes, and then cast his glance downward. She didn't know what to say. She'd thought the same thing. Even when he reached out and held her hand, she knew they weren't the same. Even now, she was trying to rediscover who they were; and who they might become, but they'd never be the same as they were before Henry Wilcox.

xXx

Later that night, after they'd washed the few dishes they'd used, they each prepared for bed. Annie loved nights like these. The moon cast just enough light that it wasn't necessary for any other. The gentle breeze flowing in from the windows lightly stirred the linen curtains that hung in the bedroom. She opened her drawer to pull out her usual sleeping attire; an oversized t-shirt, when the satiny material of her nightgown caught her eye. She bought it on a whim when she'd been partially restocking her wardrobe in the lingerie department at Macy's.

For whatever reason, she'd thrown the short, lavender nightgown into the pile on the counter with a few new bras and underwear. She hadn't thought about it since. Now, tonight, she smiled as she pulled it from the drawer and slid it over her head. She walked around the small bedroom, looking at Auggie's things on the dresser. His wallet sat next to his cell phone. Annie picked it up and opened it. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but his wallet was as utilitarian as he was; only his precisely folded bills, a few credit cards, and one photo….his unit from Iraq were in there.

"What are you looking for?" His deep voice rumbled from the bathroom door.

Annie felt her pulse jump. She fought the urge to toss the wallet aside and pretend she hadn't been snooping. She'd known Auggie too long to try and get one past him.

"I wanted to see…."

"What?" Now he walked toward her with his trademark grin on his face.

"I don't know." She whispered, shyly.

"There's nothing in there that you don't already know."

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Annie watched the smirk slide off his face as his hand began to reveal her nightgown. She watched him swallow as his left hand joined his right on her other shoulder. He delicately touched the spaghetti straps and then let his hands slide down to her waist.

"I love this." His deep voice rumbled.

"I got it for you." She answered simply; realizing for the first time that was exactly why she'd made the purchase.

Auggie leaned in and kissed her neck while letting his hands feel the back of the garment. "Walker—"

Annie felt her own mouth go dry and she let her hands touch his bare chest. He wore only his trademark black, flannel pants. Now, in the moonlight, she let her hands touch him everywhere; rediscovering him. Each inch of him seemed new and different than before. It was like a distant memory coming flooding back to her.

"What'd you do with that key?" He was tracing her bare neck. "You used to have a necklace with a key."

"Oh." She thought about telling him the truth, but the truth was so complicated. For now, she'd just go with a simple answer. "It was probably packed away with the rest of my stuff. I assume Danielle has it in storage?"

"Yeah. The agency offered, but she said she'd handle it. I guess she already knew you'd need it again. I still can't believe she knew you were alive." Auggie shook his head.

"She'd never betray my secret. I had to tell her."

"Are you going to call her?" Auggie stopped to ask.

Annie exhaled. "Not yet. I'm not ready."

"Why?" He was truly puzzled.

"'I'm not me, not yet Auggie." She whispered and felt a tear slide down her cheek. "She'll be worried if she sees me like this."

"Okay." He answered as he touched her hair. "You'll know when you're ready."

"She knows I'm safe; I'm alive. She knows I'll see her when I can."

Auggie only nodded. "So…."

"So?"

"When did you get this nightgown?"

Annie noticed his grin was back. "A few weeks ago."

"What—" He dropped his head and Annie heard a note of vulnerability in his voice.

"Auggie?" She tipped his head up with a finger under his chin.

"What color is it?" His eyes connected with hers for a second.

"Lavender."

"Oh."

"Do you remember lavender?" She whispered.

She watched him closely. This man that normally was so shuttered; no impenetrable seemed vulnerable.

"No."

She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face.

"I mean, I know what it smells like, so that's sort of mixed up with the memory now."

"Hmm." She responded, knowing words would fail her now. She'd never mourned the loss of his sight. It'd happened long before she met him and while she'd had moments of curiosity, it'd never been a subject she felt safe approaching.

"What….can you describe it?" his hands were travelling down her arms; knuckles skimming the sides of her breasts.

"Um, it's light purple. Does that help?" She heard her breath catch.

"Not really."

"I think it looks like it smells; fresh, clean, like clothes on the clothes line." She watched him smile and then before she could respond, he scooped her up and carried her the few steps to the bed.

He laid her down and then lay on his side next to her, keeping a hand on her flat stomach. "I like this." He said, fingering the material.

"I'm glad." She put a hand on his chest, comforted by his steady heartbeat. She slid her hand upward until she reached the back of his neck, and then she pulled him down for a kiss. She felt the energy within him shift as he rolled partially on top of her, keeping his weight suspended with one hand on the mattress. She felt his hand slide under the short hem of the garment and move upward to her hip. The heat and texture of his hand ignited something inside her.

"Auggie?"

He paused and tilted his head toward her.

"I love you." She said softly into the cool night air. She watched a genuine, unguarded smile bloom on his mouth.

"I love you too."

xXx

Dying. That was his first thought. Someone was dying. He came aware within split seconds of the sound hitting his ears. It wasn't screaming, per se, but more guttural. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest as his hands flew to Annie's side of the mattress.

He touched her back and felt her flinch away from his touch.

"Annie?" he said softly, but firmly. "Annie? Wake up."

He'd waited, listening intently, but she made no sound to indicate she was waking. He reached out to touch her again. This time, he found her shoulder and shook her gently. "Annie?"

He felt her move under his hands. "Auggie?"

"It's me." He smiled, hoping she could see him in the dark.

"Auggie?" Now she was sitting up and pulling him into her arms. "Are you hurt?" Her voice bordered on hysteria.

"I'm fine. We're in New York City. You're okay. Everything's okay." He stroked her long hair as she continued to cling to him.

"He shot you." She croaked as she began sobbing.

Auggie pulled back from her embrace, but kept his hands on her shoulders. "No. It was a dream."

"It was that alley in Medellin. It was Henry. He shot you. You were dying."

Auggie was alarmed that he couldn't seem to calm her. "No. I'm fine. I'm right here."

She was practically sitting in his lap. He continued to hold her and try and soothe her. Her breathing was ragged and her heartbeat was off the charts.

"I'm sorry." She finally spoke in a steady voice. "It was a bad one." Annie said as she extricated herself from his arms.

"Annie—"

"No. I'm okay. I'm gonna get a drink."

Annie threw the covers back and padded quietly to the kitchen. Once there, she turned the tap on full force, but instead of getting a glass from the cabinet, she reached under the sink and checked for her Compact Beretta. She pulled the weapon out of its hiding place, feeling its weight and checking the ammunition and safety. She could feel her pulse slow and return to normal with the weapon in her hand. Finally, she returned the gun and stood up to turn off the water.

"We're going to need to talk about this." His deep voice rumbled from the doorway and had her turning around instantly.

"Auggie—I—"

"Nice trick with the water, by the way." He tapped his ear. "I can hear a lot more than most people though."

"God, Auggie—"

"Walker, this is a problem."


	9. Ch 9

_**A/N: This chapter is not really following up on where I left off with Chapter 8, which is dealing with Annie's post-traumatic stress and her keeping a loaded gun with her. The family I created for Auggie has gotten into my head, so this chapter is about Auggie's older brother, Alex. In the last Chapter I introduced details about his family. He has three older half-brothers from his father's first marriage. There are three more boys from the marriage of his parents: Alex, who's older than Auggie and happens to be gay. Then comes Auggie, and then his brother Adam, who's only 18 months younger and is currently living in London with his fiancée, Cecelia**_.

_**As always, thank you to all who read and especially those that are so kind as to review. I dearly love reading your words and feedback.**_

"So, you didn't mention that your brother Alex lives right here in the city." Annie spoke casually while swiveling on the desk chair in the SoHo apartment. Auggie had been out at the gym for the morning and Annie had been startled when the phone in the kitchen rang. She had no intention of answering it, but when the caller i.d. said 'A. Anderson', she picked it up without hesitation.

Now, Auggie froze in mid-stride as he entered the apartment and threw his gym bag by the door.

"What?"

"Alex? He lives here."

"Yeah. I know. My question is how do you know?"

Annie smiled at the annoyed look on Auggie's face. She watched him make his way to the kitchen and grab a fresh water bottle out of the fridge. She loved the way his damp hair clung to his forehead.

"He called."

Again, Auggie paused. "What?"

Now Annie laughed out loud. "Your brother Alex called the apartment. I answered." She spoke slowly.

"Huh." He shrugged. "I'm gonna grab a shower."

"Wait." She laughed as she followed him down the hallway. Auggie turned into the small bedroom and toed off his sneakers. Then he pulled his damp, black t-shirt off in one swift motion. She fought the urge to run her fingers along his muscles. "Don't you want to know why he called?"

Auggie exhaled. "Sure." He answered as he grabbed a towel from the shelf in the linen closet.

"He wants to see you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe he misses you?"

"I doubt that." He answered sarcastically as he entered the bathroom.

"We talked for a while. He seemed nice. He invited us to dinner at his place. His partner's a bit of an amateur chef. Did you know that?"

Auggie leaned on the doorframe, clearly annoyed. "What did you tell him?"

"He did most of the talking actually. It seems Adam told him about our recent visit to London, although he left out most of the details. He still thinks you're an analyst."

"What does he think you do?"

"He didn't ask. I don't know what Adam told him. I suppose we should get our stories straight."

"Why? I have no intention of going over there for dinner." Auggie said as he reached around the curtain and turned on the water. "Walker, either your coming in here with me, or you need to give me five minutes." He smiled.

Annie didn't respond, except to pull the door shut behind her. She'd give him a few minutes alone in the shower to think.

A few minutes later, Auggie exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam wearing only a towel around his waist. Annie felt her mouth go dry as she moved toward him.

"Annie?"

"Yeah?" She could hear the desire in her voice and tried to cover it by clearing her throat. His resulting smile told her that she had not fooled him.

"Why are you waiting right outside the door?"

"I…you were…what?"

Now, he laughed openly. "I should've brought you in the shower with me. I was hoping you'd join me."

"I'll join you now…." She finally couldn't stop herself from reaching out and touching his wet hair.

His only response was to hold out his hand and wait for hers. She quickly met his hand and squealed aloud when he pulled her into the bedroom.

xXx

"So, we're really doing this?" Auggie asked as they rode up the elevator together toward Alex and Carl's Park Avenue apartment.

"You're the one that said yes. Don't try and make me feel guilty." She smiled.

"I know. I can't believe I let Adam guilt me into this. He's always been such a softy."

"Maybe Alex really has changed."

"Maybe. By the way, this little diversion is not sparing us from having a very serious conversation about the gun under the kitchen sink."

"I know." She answered softly.

"We'll get through this, Annie."

"Are you talking about me or this dinner?"

"Probably both. C'mon." He said as the elevator bell rang and the doors opened.

Annie and Auggie walked silently down the hall looking for apartment 8A. When she stopped in front of the door, she heard Auggie take a deep breath and then reach out and knock. After a moment, the door flew open.

"Auggie. Jesus, you've got the white cane and everything."

Annie was stunned by the completely inappropriate remark. She and Auggie stood in the doorway, facing a man that looked like an older, less-fit version of Auggie.

"What the hell, Adam?" Auggie barked.

"Ignore him, please." Another man appeared next to Alex. "He's got the manners of a barn animal."

"I'm Carl and it is so nice to finally meet you Auggie. I've heard a lot about you. And this must be Annie. How do you do?" Carl extended his hand to Annie and shook it enthusiastically. Then he turned to Auggie, "Can I shake your hand?" Annie was touched by Carl's initiative. She'd witnessed too many people shy away from him or ignore him completely upon meeting him. Auggie seemed to dismiss their prejudice, but it bothered her.

Auggie half-smiled and extended his hand. Carl grabbed it with both of his and shook his hand. "Now, come in you two. We have hors d'oeuvres set up in the kitchen. Adam stepped to side and gestured for them to follow Carl. Annie waited for Auggie to take her arm. They followed in near silence down a long and elegantly appointed hallway until they entered a brightly lit and modern kitchen. Annie led them to two bar stools that faced a huge granite counter.

"Wine?" Carl asked.

"Sure. Whatever you're having is fine." Auggie answered.

"Alex. Would you get the wine?" Carl asked with a little note of authority in his voice. Annie watched him move to the sideboard and begin pouring. She noticed he kept glancing at Auggie.

" Adam tells us that you two were in London when that horrible business with Cecelia took place." Carl said as he put a tray full of crackers, cheese and fruit on the counter. "We're so thankful she's okay."

"Oh, yeah."

"So, you went to see Adam." Alex spoke as he put the wine down in front of them. Annie suspected from his tone that Alex was hurt that they'd travelled all the way to London to see Adam, but not across town to visit him.

"We were there for work." Auggie spoke. Annie noticed that Auggie was moving his hand slowly across the counter, searching for the wine. She slid the glass over until it bumped the back of his hand. She looked up and noticed again how intently Alex was watching his brother.

"You and Auggie work together?" Carl asked.

"Yes." Auggie answered without expanding. Annie could feel the tension in the room getting thicker by the minute.

"So Carl, I hear you're into cooking?" She attempted to keep the conversation light.

"Well, it's a passion, that's for sure."

"Alex is lucky to have you. Auggie and I are both hopeless in the kitchen."

Annie turned when she heard Alex make an odd noise. She turned and saw his place both his hands on the counter and blow out a frustrated breath. He again looked at Auggie and shook his head.

"Alex, are you okay?" Auggie spoke, clearly aware of the undercurrent of emotion.

"I just feel like—"

"Alex, you promised you wouldn't do this—"Carl tried.

"Carl, he's my brother. I can't just sit here and watch him—"

"Watch him what?" Auggie's quiet, deep voice commanded their attention. "What is so difficult for you, Alex?"

Annie reached over and squeezed his knee. She knew that tone of his, and knew that whatever Alex was about to say was not going to end well-for Alex.

"I feel like there's an elephant in the room, that's all." Alex began.

"Okay." Auggie drew the word out. "What elephant would that be?"

"Um, the fact that you're blind and you won't let me help you." Alex barked.

"Alex—"Annie tried.

"No, Annie. It's fine." Auggie turned and gave her a tight smile.

"You should be getting compensation from the government. We should sue. Look at what they've done to you!" Alex was getting emotional. "I just can't sit here and pretend like we're just two couples getting together on a Friday night! You're handicapped, Auggie."

Auggie stood up and extended his cane. "Carl, thank you for your hospitality, but I think it's best if we go." Auggie didn't wait for Annie, but moved toward the front door.

Annie stood and looked between the two men. She was about to follow Auggie's lead when she changed her mind. "Alex, Carl, I'm about to tell you something that's highly classified and if you repeat it, you'll be arrested as an enemy of the state. Auggie and I are both operatives in the CIA. He was a field operative before he was blinded, and now he's the department head for tech ops. That's technical operations. He handles all the logistics for operatives in the field. He holds one of the most difficult and respected positions in the CIA. You treating him like he's damaged goods is insulting and just plain inaccurate. You owe him one hell of an apology."

Annie walked briskly to the front door where Auggie was waiting. She tapped his hand as she breezed past him. He latched on to her immediately as they made their way out the door and down the hall.

"You were right. He's a dick." Annie spoke once they were in the elevator. She was relieved to hear him laugh.

"Carl seems nice, though. I can't imagine what he sees in my brother." Auggie shook his head.

"It's possible that Alex is just completely misguided."

"For someone that's constantly sending me links to articles about the ADA in the workplace, he should think about reading a few of them."

"I'm really sorry, Auggie."

"I heard what you told them."

"I figured. Sorry." She answered, sheepishly.

"It's okay." He slid his hand down to hers and squeezed it. "You know, the funny thing is that when he came out, Adam and I were cool. I didn't care and neither did Adam. When my father had such a problem with it, Alex railed against him and his discrimination. I guess he doesn't see the parallels."

"Yeah."

They'd reached the lobby and walked silent through the doors and into the warm night.

"Do you want to catch a cab?" She asked.

"Let's walk. I need to work off the tension."

"Okay. Thank God I don't have on my sky high heels."

"I've noticed you don't wear those anymore." He said as he folded up his cane and tucked it inside his messenger bag.

"I don't know.. maybe I ..."

"Walker, it's okay." He smiled as he put his hand back on her elbow so she could guide him.

"I feel like I should keep apologizing for not being the old Annie."

"You don't. And you're still a little bit of the old Annie."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I could've predicted that the old Annie wouldn't be able to leave that apartment without giving my brother a verbal pummeling."

"I shouldn't have done that. I basically just read them in."

"Yeah, you did." He smirked.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. He deserved it."

"Yeah, he did." She laughed. "I think we missed out on a nice dinner, though."

"What should we do about that?"

"I see a pub up ahead with some outdoor seating. Are you in the mood for a burger and beer?"

"Sure. Kinda reminds me of Allen's."

Annie let the comment hang in the air without comment. Despite the fact she just told Auggie's family she was an operative in the CIA, the truth was she wasn't sure what she was anymore. Calder had given her time to deal with the emotional fall-out, but she knew his patience had limits.

Annie walked up to the hostess. "You can sit anywhere you like." She announced. Annie walked them over to a table in a small outdoor area that was separated from the sidewalk by some strategically placed potted hedges. She put his hand on the back of a chair and then slid into the one across from it.

"Thanks." He said.

"For?"

"Guiding me."

"Auggie, please tell me you're not letting Alex into your head."

"No, nothing like that. I just don't want you to think I take it for granted."

"I want you to take it for granted. I do."

"What?"

"I don't think twice about it. Just like I don't think you think twice about getting my coffee from the little café downstairs from the apartment."

Auggie sat back and pondered her words. "I love you and I like to do things for you."

"Yeah, same here."

"I forget—"he waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Believe it or not, I forget what a big deal it is to some people."

Annie watched him duck his head. This was such a rare display of open emotion for him. She didn't want to say the wrong thing.

The waitress came over and they placed their orders for a pitcher of Yuengling and two burgers; hers medium and his well done.

Auggie was about to speak when his phone rang. The computerized voice announced the call was from Alex Anderson. Auggie exhaled and looked skyward for patience before answering.

"_Alex." _

"_Thank you. I appreciate that."_

"_Yeah. That's all true."_

"_Because it's none of your business. Besides, I doubt you would've believed me. _

"_No, I'm not sad and I don't want you to be either."_

"_I don't know. Let me find out."_

Auggie pulled the phone away from his ear. "They want to meet us. Is that okay with you?"

"Um, sure."

"What's the name of this place?"

"O'Sullivan's."

Auggie gave his brother the name and address of their location and before long, the two had joined them at the table.

"Auggie, I'm an ass."

"Yup."

"What I said…"

"Alex, you don't have to go into it."

"No, I think you need to understand something."

Auggie leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I saw you a few times after—you know." Alex swallowed. "You were so depressed; so broken."

Annie felt her own throat thicken with emotion.

"I was so angry for you. I wanted them to pay for what they did to you."

"Alex—"

"I directed that anger at you; which is ridiculous." He laughed. "Carl made me see that…and Annie."

"I did?"

"I should've known better than to doubt you, Aug. You never stay down long."

"Wow. Thanks."

"I was just worried. I didn't know how you could survive…blind." He finished quietly.

Annie watched Auggie cover his own emotions with a swig of beer. "I'm okay. You know that, right? I'm fine."

"You're still blind."

"Yeah, and I always will be. But, I have to keep moving forward. "

"He can't speak or else you'll know he's crying." Carl piped up; tears clear in his voice too.

"Oh man. Is everyone crying?" Auggie asked. No one responded.

Auggie laughed. "I really know how to bring the sunshine."


	10. Ch 10

_**A/N: At the end.**_

"Cooking is a lot like relationships," Carl began as he poured a generous amount of white wine into a saucepan. "The dish can become something even greater than you imagined if you just let it be."

Annie smirked as she drank from her wine glass and popped an olive in her mouth. This was her third cooking lesson with Alex's better half and so far all she'd only learned what wine to pair with which dish.

"Oh never mind." He scoffed good-naturedly as he covered the dish and came to sit next to her at the bar in the kitchen.

"No, no!" She patted his arm. "I get it. Really." She leaned her head on his shoulder. Somehow in the course of two weeks, she and Carl had bonded. It left both of their significant others slightly bemused, but it forced the brothers to find some bonding time of their own.

"So, are you ready to go back to DC?"

"Yeah. I mean, that we're all packed and I know Auggie is getting antsy about being away from work so long."

"What about you?"

"There are things I need to take care of too." She sighed, thinking of the psychological testing that awaited her before she could be sent on another mission.

Annie looked up and into Carl's intense blue eyes. "I'm not that worried about work."

"Then what?" He asked, concerned.

"Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Of course, honey. Shoot."

Annie took a small sip of wine and tried to put the jumbled thoughts in her brain in order. "How did you know…about Alex? That he was the one?"

Carl didn't answer right away. He slowly selected another olive from the tray and ate it. Finally, he turned toward her. "You're thinking of leaving him, aren't you?"

Annie felt a tear slide down her cheek. She only shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, Annie. Why?"

"I feel like I'm going through the motions," she whispered, "but I'm empty on the inside." She lowered her head; unable to meet his intense gaze.

Carl reached out and grabbed both her hands and shook them slightly. "Annie, I don't know the details of what happened to the two of you, but obviously you went through something hard. Maybe you came out of it a little damaged." He felt her hands stiffen in his grasp. He released one of her hands so that he could tip her head up. "Don't you think Auggie, of all people, would understand that?"

Her only response was a negative shake of the head.

"Don't give up yet, honey." He pulled her off the stool and into a tight bear hug.

They broke apart as they heard the brothers entering the apartment. Annie could hear Auggie's laugh and it immediately made her smile. The boys entered the kitchen, wearing sweaty gym clothes and huge grins.

"Auggie, what on earth did you do to your brother?" Carl exclaimed.

"He's so stubbornly competitive. He challenged me to a treadmill race."

"I didn't realize you'd become some sort of marathon runner!" Alex wheezed as he chugged a bottle of water.

Auggie scoffed. "It was hardly a marathon." He turned to face Annie and Carl. "It was only ten miles."

"Serves you right, Alex. You know he's in way better shape than you." Carl laughed.

"Stop ogling my brother. " Alex responded, laughing.

"Why don't you guys clean up so we can eat." Annie pushed them out of the kitchen.

"It smells delicious. I take it Carl did most of the work." Auggie hollered from the guest bathroom.

"Hilarious!" She yelled back. Annie turned back to the kitchen and was startled by the serious expression on Carl's face.

"What?"

"You love him, Annie."

She walked to the cabinet to retrieve the dishes to set the table.

"Annie?" Carl drew out the word so that she'd look at him. "If you have love, you can work out the rest."

xXx

"So that was interesting." Auggie spoke as he crawled into bed.

Annie emerged from the bathroom and slid into the soft bed. She yawned, sleepily. The evening with Carl and Alex had stretched into a six hour affair. Alex and Auggie seemed to be making up for lost time and Annie watched in amazement as she got to know yet another side of the man she loved. Finally, when Carl observed that Annie was dozing off into her tiramisu, they'd headed home.

"I really like them. Well, I really like Carl and Alex is starting to grow on me." She mumbled as she scooted over and leaned her head on his shoulder. As they often did, her fingers located the shallow dent in his skin from the bullet wound he sustained in Columbia.

"Yeah. I think Carl's the reason he's becoming more….mellow."

"He's easy to talk to."

"So am I, you know." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You can tell me anything, Annie."

Annie didn't know if it was the wine, or the fatigue, or the safety of the darkness, but she decided to say aloud what she'd been worrying about since she'd returned from killing Henry Wilcox.

"I think….that….you'll realize that I'm not the same—"

"Annie, we've already talked about this—"

"No," she interrupted, "I mean, I think you don't really know that what you signed up for, isn't what you're getting." She finished.

Auggie pushed himself up and leaned on his elbow. He was quiet a long time. "I think it's ironic that you keep speaking to me about this as if I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Auggie—"

He held up a hand to stop her interruption. "You think I came back from Iraq the same?" He continued before she could respond. "Obviously, I came back injured, but there was a hell of a lot more to it than learning to use a cane." His words were coming fast now with a halting cadence that had Annie wondering if he'd ever spoken about these feelings before.

"Everything was different. Everything. For a while, I couldn't even make the effort to explain it to people. Then I stopped caring. I figured my life was hard enough; the last thing I needed to worry about was how my disability made other people feel."

"So, what did you do?"

"I stopped trying."

"But—"

"My advice probably isn't sanctioned by the shrinks at Langley, but when you go through something that most people couldn't possibly fathom, it's hard to listen to them spew pearls of wisdom at you."

"I feel like I'm cheating you, Auggie; like I came back as half Annie Walker and half a total stranger."

Auggie reached out touched her cheek. "I know that feeling." He felt her smile under his hand.

"I suppose you do."

"And you wonder how I could possibly want you, if I don't really know you?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

"I guess you need to take a leap of faith."

"But—"

Now he sat up fully so that he could put both his hands on either side of her head. "Leap, Annie. Leap with me."

Annie felt the breath go out of her chest at the intensity of his gaze. She raised her own hand and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes. "Okay."

xXx

In the end, it had been easier than she ever could've imagined. Once she decided to trust him and the love they had for each other, everything else fell into place. Of course, she'd had her dark moments too, and when they occurred, Auggie was always there for her; either to hold her, or to give her space.

She'd been on a few missions since, but nothing as harrowing as the Henry Wilcox affair. Auggie remained at Langley, but no longer at the DPD. He'd been promoted and now she had a new handler. So far, things had been running smoothly.

She watched from her hotel balcony as the three Anderson brothers walked along the shoreline on the beach in Maui. It had been an unexpected and very welcome surprise that Auggie's youngest brother, Adam and his new wife Cecelia had flown in from London just last night. Tomorrow, Auggie's brother, Alex was marrying his partner, Carl in a sunset ceremony on the beach. She'd been looking forward to it and now that it was here, she was a little sad. A knock at the door pulled her attention from the view on the beach.

"Knock knock!" Cecelia's soprano voice rang out from the other side of the door.

"I'm coming!" Annie pulled the door open and saw Adam's petite wife with her arm looped through Carl's.

"It's time to have a special celebration of our own. The spouses of the Anderson boys deserve a drink or two." She laughed as she pulled Annie through the door and down the hallway.

"Technically, I' m not a spouse." Annie said softly.

"When you're ready." Carl responded. Annie looked over at him and smiled. This past year had been a journey of extraordinary pain, but also immeasurable blessings and now she wrapped her arms around two people that had been total strangers a year ago, but somehow had become family.

xXx

Several hours and champagne bottles later, Annie returned to her room to find Auggie sitting outside on the balcony with a book in his lap. She watched him close the book and swivel around to face her.

"I was beginning to wonder if you got lost." He smiled as he stood up and crossed to her. She walked toward him and tried not to sway as she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"I lost track of time with the spouses."

"The spouses?" He raised an eyebrow as he led her to the adjacent chair on the balcony and gently pushed her into it.

"Yeah," she laughed, "that's what we're calling ourselves—Cece, Carl and I."

Auggie sat down in his chair and smiled. Clearly, her inhibitions were lowered. Normally, Annie shied away from any type of marital discussion, and now she was openly referring to herself as his 'spouse.' Even if it was only in jest, he realized he liked it.

"Well, I suppose that's as good a name as any. You three are a brave lot to take us on."

"That's what Cecelia said." Annie giggled. "'course she has the easiest one to handle."

"Easiest one? You mean the easiest Anderson?"

"Yeah." She sighed and leaned her head back enjoying the light breeze that cooled her body.

"I'm offended. Obviously Alex is no picnic, but I thought I would at least tie with Adam."

"Har." Annie rose and walked to Auggie's chair. She leaned down and kissed the side of his neck, effectively stopping any argument that he was currently planning.

"Annie—"

Her only response was to run her hand down the front of his chest and to his hand. She tugged him to his feet and then put both her hands on his shoulders. She felt his hands on her waist.

Auggie didn't know what had gotten into her, but he wasn't about to argue. He followed her lead and when she stopped to face him, he held her tightly, enjoying the feel of the light sundress against her sun kissed skin.

"I love you, Auggie."

He stilled his hands at the sincerity of her words. He pulled his hands away from her waist and gently touched her cheek. He felt dampness on her cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Remember that time in the park—in New York? You said…you said that it was hard for you to trust me because you worried that I might leave."

Auggie felt his own throat constrict with emotion. He remembered that moment vividly. He'd put it all on the line that day; his vulnerabilities, his fears, everything. "I remember."

"I don't think I understood….until now. Until today."

Auggie smiled. "Why? What happened today?"

He felt her lower her head. He gently lifted her chin with his finger under her chin. "Annie?"

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Tell me." He gently commanded.

"I realized something…"

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She was so adorably vulnerable right now. He knew it was partly due to the champagne though. He hoped she'd remember this conversation in the morning. "What did you realize?"

"That I trust you—with everything."

She watched him furrow his brow and resisted the urge to run her finger along the wrinkle between his eyes. She knew she was a little tipsy and perhaps revealing more than she'd planned, but something had happened when she walked in the door and saw him sitting on the balcony with a braille book balanced on his lap.

She'd taken in the sight of him in a matter of seconds. His khaki cargo shorts, navy blue t-shirt and flip flops. He looked so relaxed; so at peace. She knew that wasn't really the case. He'd been up early this morning running some sort of operation remotely. Two laptops were simultaneously running while his nimble fingers flew from keyboard to keyboard.

But now, in this moment, he looked so calm sitting there in the setting sun reading (or re-reading as he made a point to mention)_ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ in braille. He explained that when he had time, he actually preferred braille to audio. It was more imaginative to allow his own voice to narrate the fiction. She'd found that both curious, and endearing.

She'd failed yet again to explain her meaning. How do you tell someone that the sight of them alone fills you with love and unconditional supports unlike you've ever known?

"Auggie, you're it. For me, you're the one." She exhaled as emotion crept into her voice. She watched understanding flood his face. Finally, she relaxed. Sometimes words failed her and usually Auggie was able to interpret what she was trying to say. He released her and looked uncharacteristically nervous.

"So, you think we're in this for the long haul then?"

"Yes." She tried to inflect the earnestness of her feelings into her words. She reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She felt him bury his head in the side of her neck and then the vibrations of his words.

"Well, okay then."

_**A/N: Finally complete! I purposely left it a bit loose at the end. Even though it's the perfect location for a proposal, I don't think they are really ready for that yet (despite a One Shot I wrote about them getting married!). In this story, things are moving—but slowly. This ending is a big step for them both. They are throwing all their eggs into each other's baskets and trusting each other with their hearts. **_

_**A million THANKS! To all that read and especially those of you that post reviews. Your words are truly appreciated and read with enthusiasm. Hopefully this ending is fulfilling. I'm planning a new story that takes place ten years in the future. It's called Ten Years Later. **_


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